Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Letters to his wife Mary Borrow
Letters to his wife Mary Borrow

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Letters to his wife Mary Borrow
Context Illustration Reading 1/3 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].
MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.
The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.
Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.
I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Letters to his wife Mary Borrow

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/3 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].
Line 2
MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.
Line 3
The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.
/ðə ˈweðər hæz bɪn ˈterəbli hɑːt ənd əˈfektɪd maɪ hed ənd ˈlaɪkwaɪz maɪ saɪt ˈslaɪtli/
Line 4
Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.
/mɔːˈroʊvər wʌn ʌv ðə ʃuːz hɜːrt maɪ fʊt/
Line 5
I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

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.

affected adjective US /əˈfektɪd/

acted upon; influenced

From this reading “The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.”

August noun US /ˈɑːɡəst/

the month following July and preceding September

likewise adverb US /ˈlaɪkwaɪz/

in like or similar manner

From this reading “The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.”

Pembroke noun US /ˈpembroʊk/

the smaller and straight-legged variety of corgi having pointed ears and a short tail

From this reading “I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.”

shoes noun US /ʃuːz/

a particular situation

From this reading “Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.”

terribly adverb US /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading “The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.”

Tuesday noun US /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

unwell adjective US /ənˈwel/

somewhat ill or prone to illness

From this reading “MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

1857

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

From this reading TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].

25

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

From this reading TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].

affectedadjectiveUS /əˈfektɪd/

acted upon; influenced

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

AugustnounUS /ˈɑːɡəst/

the month following July and preceding September

From this reading TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

CARRETA

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

hurtverbUS /hɜːrt/

be the source of pain

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

likewiseadverbUS /ˈlaɪkwaɪz/

in like or similar manner

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

MoreoveradverbUS /mɔːˈroʊvər/

in addition to what has just been said

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

obligedadjectiveUS /əˈblaɪdʒd/

under a moral obligation to do something

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

PembrokenounUS /ˈpembroʊk/

the smaller and straight-legged variety of corgi having pointed ears and a short tail

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

presentlyadverbUS /ˈprezəntli/

in the near future

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

remainverbUS /rɪˈmeɪn/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

Sandypool

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

shoesnounUS /ʃuːz/

a particular situation

From this reading Moreover, one of the shoes hurt my foot.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

slightlyadverbUS /ˈslaɪtli/

to a small degree or extent

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

TENBY

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

From this reading TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].

terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

to-day

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

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

TuesdaynounUS /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

From this reading TENBY _Tuesday_, 25 [_August_, 1857].

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

unwelladjectiveUS /ənˈwel/

somewhat ill or prone to illness

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading I came to this place to-day, and shall presently leave it for Pembroke on my way back.

weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading The weather has been terribly hot, and affected my head, and likewise my sight slightly.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MY DEAR CARRETA, Since writing to you I have been rather unwell, and was obliged to remain two days at Sandypool.

Chapter 3 of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow by George Borrow holds 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 Letters to his wife Mary Borrow contain?

Chapter 3 holds 16 sentences of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow by George Borrow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 Letters to his wife Mary Borrow?

Work through the 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 4 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Letters to his wife Mary Borrow

Common questions about reading Letters to his wife Mary Borrow by George Borrow on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow?

Yes. All 257 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters to his wife Mary Borrow take to read?

About 21 minutes of reading across 52 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Letters to his wife Mary Borrow section by section

How to work through Letters to his wife Mary Borrow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Letters to his wife Mary Borrow

Words and structures a reader meets early in Letters to his wife Mary Borrow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Venice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arrived
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Though
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to his wife Mary Borrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.