Chapter 3 of Pastorals of Dorset is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Pastorals of Dorset is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.” “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring. “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.” “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”. “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
Chapter 3 of Pastorals of Dorset is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
with diligence; in a diligent manner
From this reading ““I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading ““I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.”
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading ““Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.”
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading ““Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.””
(theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
From this reading ““Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.”
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading ““Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.”
someone who expresses strong approval
From this reading ““Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.”
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.
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 “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
later than; following
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
with diligence; in a diligent manner
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
the branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
an old word for “no”
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
(theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
express in words
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
someone who expresses strong approval
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Hello!” cried the man nearest to him, straightening himself and staring.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Neighbours all, I’ve summat to say to ’ee.”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading “Here’s old Joe Frisby turned Methody praicher.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
which person or people
From this reading “Nay, he’ve a-jined the Salvation Army, sure,” cried another, who was himself a regular subscriber to the “War Cry”.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “I know what he’s after,” muttered Jan, working away very diligently.
Chapter 3 of Pastorals of Dorset by M. E. Francis holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of Pastorals of Dorset, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Pastorals of Dorset by M. E. Francis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Pastorals of Dorset by M. E. Francis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pastorals of Dorset section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Pastorals of Dorset 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 Pastorals of Dorset, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
