Chapter 3 of Home Again is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Home Again is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PENNYWORTH OF THINKING. “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close. “Your penny, then! I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.” “You shall have the penny.
Chapter 3 of Home Again is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.””
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading “I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.””
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading ““A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.”
common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere
From this reading “I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.””
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading ““A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading ““A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.””
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading ““A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.”
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 A PENNYWORTH OF THINKING.
later than; following
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
a young female
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You shall have the penny.
common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A PENNYWORTH OF THINKING.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
the amount that can be bought for a penny
From this reading A PENNYWORTH OF THINKING.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “You shall have the penny.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Your penny, then!
in or at that place or location
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading A PENNYWORTH OF THINKING.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I was thinking how wild and sweet the dark wind would be blowing up there among the ringing bells of the heather.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You shall have the penny.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “A penny for your thought, Walter!” said the girl, after a long silence, in which the night seemed at length to clasp her too close.
Chapter 3 of Home Again by George MacDonald holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of Home Again, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Home Again by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Home Again by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8924 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8924, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 609 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Home Again section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Home Again 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 Home Again, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
