Kitty Alone — Vol. 2

Chapter III · An Offer

Chapter III of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2, “An Offer,” is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Kitty Alone — Vol. 2

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Kate rose to a sitting posture, and drew her feet under her, rested one hand on the rock, and with the other screened her eyes from the glare of the sun, to observe the intruder on her solitude.

Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

“I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter III Reading 1/35

Kitty Alone — Vol. 2

Chapter III · An Offer

Chapter III of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2, “An Offer,” is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Kate rose to a sitting posture, and drew her feet under her, rested one hand on the rock, and with the other screened her eyes from the glare of the sun, to observe the intruder on her solitude.

Line 2

Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

Line 3

He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

/hiː wɑːz wɪˈθaʊt hɪz koʊt æn æks ˈoʊvər wʌn ˈʃoʊldər/

Line 4

In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

/ɪn hɪz raɪt hænd hiː held ə tʌft ʌv ˈkɑːtən ɡræs dʌɡ ʌp baɪ ðə ruːts/

Line 5

“I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

Learner Dictionary

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.

axe noun US /æks/

an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle

From this reading “He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.”

dug noun US /dʌɡ/

an udder or breast or teat

From this reading “In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.”

glare noun US /ɡler/

a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted

From this reading “Kate rose to a sitting posture, and drew her feet under her, rested one hand on the rock, and with the other screened her eyes from the glare of the sun, to observe the intruder on her solitude.”

intruder noun US /ˌɪnˈtruːdər/

someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission

knowed verb US /noʊd/

past form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading ““I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.””

posture noun US /ˈpɑːstʃər/

the arrangement of the body and its limbs

screened verb US /skriːnd/

past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

tuft noun US /tʌft/

a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass

From this reading “In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

sitting posture noun + noun

In this reading “Kate rose to a sitting posture, and drew her feet under her, rested one hand on the rock, and with the other screened her eyes from the glare of the sun, to observe the intruder on her solitude.”

by the roots preposition + article + noun counted as “by … roots”

In this reading “In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.”

on the rock preposition + article + noun counted as “on … rock”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Kate rose to a sitting posture, and drew her feet under her, rested one hand on the rock, and with the other screened her eyes from the glare of the sun, to observe the intruder on her solitude.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

axenounUS /æks/

an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/

soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

dugnounUS /dʌɡ/

an udder or breast or teat

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

dursn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

glarenounUS /ɡler/

a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

intrudernounUS /ˌɪnˈtruːdər/

someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission

Kate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

knowedverbUS /noʊd/

past form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

lestconjunctionUS /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

observeverbUS /əbˈzɜːrv/

discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

posturenounUS /ˈpɑːstʃər/

the arrangement of the body and its limbs

recognisedadjectiveUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/

provided with a secure reputation

From this reading Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

Redmore

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

restedadjectiveUS /ˈrestəd/

not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

rocknounUS /rɑːk/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

Roger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

rootsnounUS /ruːts/

the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

screenedverbUS /skriːnd/

past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

solitudenounUS /ˈsɑːlətuːd/

a state of social isolation

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then she recognised Roger Redmore.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

tuftnounUS /tʌft/

a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading In his right hand he held a tuft of cotton grass dug up by the roots.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading He was without his coat, an axe over one shoulder.

wor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “I knowed as you wor here,” said he, “but I dursn’t speak before others, lest they should find me out who I wor.”

Chapter 3 of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2 by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 3 of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2 contain?

Chapter 3 holds 176 sentences of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2 by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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.

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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.

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Yes. All 2766 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54669 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #54669, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 230 minutes of reading across 554 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Kitty Alone — Vol. 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in Kitty Alone — Vol. 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Crowd: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Market-place: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Streets: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ashburton: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kitty Alone — Vol. 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter III · An Offer

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Vocabulary met early in Kitty Alone — Vol. 2