Chapter 3 of Rick and Ruddy Out West is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Rick and Ruddy Out West is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him. With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it. “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note. “Mother, what is it?” asked Rick. “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
Chapter 3 of Rick and Ruddy Out West is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading ““This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading ““This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.”
a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading “THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.”
possessive form of “rick” — a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.”
a unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds
From this reading ““Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?””
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading “With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.”
showing curiosity
From this reading “With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.”
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 ““This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.”
In this reading “With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.”
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 With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
any thing at all
From this reading “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Mother, what is it?” asked Rick.
a youthful male person
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
a brief written record
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading “Mother, what is it?” asked Rick.
possessive form of “rick” — a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
a unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds
From this reading “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “Has anything happened—anything to Uncle Tod?”
precisely as stated
From this reading “This is very strange,” she murmured as she glanced through the short note.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE TELEGRAM Rick’s mother was waiting for him.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Mother, what is it?” asked Rick.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
showing curiosity
From this reading With a wondering look on her face she took the letter he held out to her, and the boy watched her read it.
Chapter 3 of Rick and Ruddy Out West by Howard Roger Garis holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 196 sentences of Rick and Ruddy Out West, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Rick and Ruddy Out West by Howard Roger Garis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Rick and Ruddy Out West by Howard Roger Garis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3091 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rick and Ruddy Out West section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Rick and Ruddy Out West 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 Rick and Ruddy Out West, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
