Chapter 3 of Betty Alden is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Betty Alden is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TREASON. “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.” “The devil you say, Giles Hopkins! And who gave you leave to order your betters about?” “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
Chapter 3 of Betty Alden is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 “better” — something superior in quality or condition or effect
From this reading “And who gave you leave to order your betters about?””
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading ““The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading ““Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.””
United States educator and theologian (1802-1887)
From this reading ““The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!”
plural of “message” — a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading ““Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.””
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading ““Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.””
English colonist in America; leader of the Pilgrims in the early days of the Plymouth Colony (1584-1656)
From this reading ““Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.””
a crime that undermines the offender's government
From this reading “TREASON.”
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.
assail or attack on all sides: "The zebra was beset by leopards"
In this reading ““Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.””
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
later than; following
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
plural of “better” — something superior in quality or condition or effect
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
United States educator and theologian (1802-1887)
From this reading “The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
go away from a place
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
plural of “message” — a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
express in words
From this reading “The devil you say, Giles Hopkins!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
English colonist in America; leader of the Pilgrims in the early days of the Plymouth Colony (1584-1656)
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
a crime that undermines the offender's government
From this reading TREASON.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading “Captain Standish names the watch, and I as ancient-bearer am under his orders and carry his messages.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
look attentively
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
which person or people
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Master Oldhame, you are set upon the watch to-night, and will report after the evening gun at the Fort.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And who gave you leave to order your betters about?”
Chapter 3 of Betty Alden by Jane G. (Jane Goodwin) Austin holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 72 sentences of Betty Alden, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Betty Alden by Jane G. (Jane Goodwin) Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Betty Alden by Jane G. (Jane Goodwin) Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3812 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67608, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 763 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Betty Alden section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Betty Alden 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 Betty Alden, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
