Missy: A Novel

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Missy: A Novel is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Miriam Coles Harris • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE FIRST SERMON.

It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

Missy's dream of happiness was realized, and her brother was called to Yellowcoats parish--called before he was ordained; and for three months the parish had been waiting patiently for that event, and living upon "supplies."

St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

"I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter III Reading 1/14

Missy: A Novel Miriam Coles Harris

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Missy: A Novel is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE FIRST SERMON. It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon. Missy's dream of happiness was realized, and her brother was called to Yellowcoats parish--called before he was ordained; and for three months the parish had been waiting patiently for that event, and living upon "supplies." St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was. "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

Missy: A Novel

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Missy: A Novel is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE FIRST SERMON.

/ðə fɜːrst ˈsɜːrmən/

Line 2

It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

Line 3

Line 4

St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

Line 5

"I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

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.

conquered verb US /ˈkɑːŋkərd/

past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority

From this reading “St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.”

Missy's noun US /ˈmɪsiz/

possessive form of “missy” — a young female

From this reading “Missy's dream of happiness was realized, and her brother was called to Yellowcoats parish--called before he was ordained; and for three months the parish had been waiting patiently for that event, and living upon "supplies."”

ordained adjective US /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/

fixed or established especially by order or command

parish noun US /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

patiently adverb US /ˈpeɪʃəntli/

with patience; in a patient manner

preaching noun US /ˈpriːtʃɪŋ/

an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

From this reading “It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.”

sermon noun US /ˈsɜːrmən/

an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

From this reading “THE FIRST SERMON.”

supplies noun US /səˈplaɪz/

plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use

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.

three months noun + noun counted as “three month”

In this reading “Missy's dream of happiness was realized, and her brother was called to Yellowcoats parish--called before he was ordained; and for three months the parish had been waiting patiently for that event, and living upon "supplies."”

FIRST SERMON adjective + noun

In this reading “THE FIRST SERMON.”

for three preposition + noun

All words in this reading · 61

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 It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Missy's dream of happiness was realized, and her brother was called to Yellowcoats parish--called before he was ordained; and for three months the parish had been waiting patiently for that event, and living upon "supplies."

brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

conqueredverbUS /ˈkɑːŋkərd/

past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

desiredadjectiveUS /dɪˈzaɪərd/

wanted intensely

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

eventnounUS /ɪˈvent/

something that happens at a given place and time

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading THE FIRST SERMON.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

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 St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

it's

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

From this reading "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

Missy'snounUS /ˈmɪsiz/

possessive form of “missy” — a young female

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

ordainedadjectiveUS /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/

fixed or established especially by order or command

parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

patientlyadverbUS /ˈpeɪʃəntli/

with patience; in a patient manner

preachingnounUS /ˈpriːtʃɪŋ/

an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

realizedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

SERMONnounUS /ˈsɜːrmən/

an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

From this reading THE FIRST SERMON.

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

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

suppliesnounUS /səˈplaɪz/

plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE FIRST SERMON.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "I think it's a mistake," St. John had said.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

whollyadverbUS /ˈhoʊli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading St. John had not wished to come to Yellowcoats, his mother had not wholly desired it, but the fire and force of Missy's will had conquered, and here he was.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading It was Sunday afternoon, a year and a half after this, and St. John had just been preaching his first sermon.

Yellowcoats

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

Chapter 3 of Missy: A Novel by Miriam Coles Harris holds 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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 Missy: A Novel contain?

Chapter 3 holds 70 sentences of Missy: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Missy: A Novel by Miriam Coles Harris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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.

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Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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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.

Questions about reading Missy: A Novel

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Project Gutenberg eBook #40129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter III

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