Chapter 3 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE. "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!" "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John. "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness. The lady and the children should retire."
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the act of burning something
From this reading “"Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"”
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading “"No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “"Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading “"No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.”
plundering during riots or in wartime
From this reading “"Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"”
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading “The lady and the children should retire."”
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading “THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “"Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “"No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.”
In this reading “THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lady and the children should retire."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
the act of burning something
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The lady and the children should retire."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The lady and the children should retire."
plundering during riots or in wartime
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading The lady and the children should retire."
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The lady and the children should retire."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Not our people, surely?" said Mr. St. John.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Teacher, they are coming—burning, looting, killing!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading THE RISING IN THE VILLAGE.
at the time that
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No; but they will join, never fear, when their blood is up; they will forget all your kindness.
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 3 holds 104 sentences of A Tale of Red Pekin, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41951 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41951, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 93 minutes of reading across 224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Tale of Red Pekin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Tale of Red Pekin to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Tale of Red Pekin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
