Chapter 3 of An outlaw's pledge is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of An outlaw's pledge is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE." "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses. "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings. "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker." "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
Chapter 3 of An outlaw's pledge is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
plural of “curse” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “"No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.”
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."”
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “"No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading “"You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.”
United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)
From this reading “"No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.”
an important intellectual
From this reading “"My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."”
a heavy rain
From this reading “"No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.”
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.
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
plural of “curse” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
the act of giving
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
not any; not one
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SCOTTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT THE "SERVICE."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
an important intellectual
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
a heavy rain
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, if he did, I'd like to know the trick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No more mystery about what's become of our ponies," growled Shaw, giving relief to his feelings in a torrent of curses.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You mean Red took them?" queried Jennings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My, but you're getting to be the quick little thinker."
Chapter 3 of An outlaw's pledge by Spencer Dair holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 78 sentences of An outlaw's pledge, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of An outlaw's pledge by Spencer Dair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 An outlaw's pledge by Spencer Dair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1358 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69119 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69119, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An outlaw's pledge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of An outlaw's pledge 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 An outlaw's pledge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
