Chapter 3 of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
16. It was in vain to try. It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch. It was hopeless. "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
Chapter 3 of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
a junior Girl Scout
From this reading “"Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.”
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading “It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.”
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading “"Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.”
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading “It was hopeless.”
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.”
move an implement through
From this reading “It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “It was in vain to try.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 16.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
a junior Girl Scout
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading It was hopeless.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in vain to try.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in vain to try.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
move an implement through
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was in vain to try.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading It was in vain to try.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading It was in vain to try.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in vain to try.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, what can I do for you, Brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.
Chapter 3 of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales by Edith [Editor] Carrington holds 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 451 sentences of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales by Edith [Editor] Carrington exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales by Edith [Editor] Carrington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2591 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28351, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 215 minutes of reading across 519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Dick and His Cat, and Other 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 Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
