Chapter 3 of Cape Breton Tales is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Cape Breton Tales is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife. "So devoted to his home. I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play. Poor babies! Poor little babies!"
Chapter 3 of Cape Breton Tales is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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 “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “Poor babies!”
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading “"So devoted to his home.”
the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
be seated
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
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 “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
In this reading “Poor little babies!"”
In this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
In this reading “I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.”
In this reading “"He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.”
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 "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Poor babies!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading "So devoted to his home.
the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "So devoted to his home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "So devoted to his home.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
participate in games or sport
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor babies!
To recall to mind.
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
be seated
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So devoted to his home.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "So devoted to his home.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "He was such a good man," said Mrs. Thibault, the barrister's wife.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I remember of how he would sit there on the doorstep for hours, watching his little ones at their play.
Chapter 3 of Cape Breton Tales by Harry James Smith holds 519 sentences, grouped into 104 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 519 sentences of Cape Breton Tales, unabridged, divided into 104 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Cape Breton Tales by Harry James Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 519 sentences, grouped into 104 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 104 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 104 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 Cape Breton Tales by Harry James Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1567 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 130 minutes of reading across 314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cape Breton Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Cape Breton Tales 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 Cape Breton Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
