Chapter 3 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny. "Not bad at all. Better than Miss Hilderman writes. But society always gives me a pain. Not worthy of your talents, Penny."
Chapter 3 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “But society always gives me a pain.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.”
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading “But society always gives me a pain.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “"Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “"Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.”
plural of “talent” — natural abilities or qualities
From this reading “Not worthy of your talents, Penny."”
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading “Not worthy of your talents, Penny."”
third-person singular of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “Better than Miss Hilderman writes.”
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 But society always gives me a pain.
(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 "Not bad at all.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Not bad at all.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Better than Miss Hilderman writes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Better than Miss Hilderman writes.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Better than Miss Hilderman writes.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not bad at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not worthy of your talents, Penny."
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading But society always gives me a pain.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
plural of “talent” — natural abilities or qualities
From this reading Not worthy of your talents, Penny."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Better than Miss Hilderman writes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Is my stuff that bad?" inquired Penny.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading Not worthy of your talents, Penny."
third-person singular of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Better than Miss Hilderman writes.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Not worthy of your talents, Penny."
Chapter 3 of Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Clue of the Silken Ladder, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3711 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clue of the Silken Ladder section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Clue of the Silken Ladder 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 Clue of the Silken Ladder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
