Chapter 3 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CROSSING THE RUBICON. I must confess to being startled by this proposal. I had not foreseen it. That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans. As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
Chapter 3 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “I must confess to being startled by this proposal.”
traveling across
From this reading “CROSSING THE RUBICON.”
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading “I had not foreseen it.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.”
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.”
a unit of instruction
From this reading “As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “I must confess to being startled by this proposal.”
the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war
From this reading “CROSSING THE RUBICON.”
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.
In this reading “That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.”
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 As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
traveling across
From this reading CROSSING THE RUBICON.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading I had not foreseen it.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not foreseen it.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I had not foreseen it.
a boy or man
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
a unit of instruction
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
not any; not one
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had not foreseen it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war
From this reading CROSSING THE RUBICON.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CROSSING THE RUBICON.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I must confess to being startled by this proposal.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading That I should have to do with any woman formed no part of my plans.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading As I have said, I hated women; I had not forgotten the lesson I had learnt as a lad.
Chapter 3 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of Mistress Nancy Molesworth, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54239 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54239, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1565 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mistress Nancy Molesworth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Mistress Nancy Molesworth 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 Mistress Nancy Molesworth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
