Chapter 3 of Rookwood is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Rookwood is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The pursuers were at the brink. They gazed at the pool. A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst. The water was slightly discolored with sand. No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
Chapter 3 of Rookwood is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading “The pursuers were at the brink.”
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading “A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.”
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.”
past form of “discolor” — lose color or turn colorless
From this reading “The water was slightly discolored with sand.”
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.”
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading “They gazed at the pool.”
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading “The pursuers were at the brink.”
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading “No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.”
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 A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The pursuers were at the brink.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading The pursuers were at the brink.
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
past form of “discolor” — lose color or turn colorless
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading They gazed at the pool.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
not in physical motion
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
completely unclothed
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
not any; not one
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading They gazed at the pool.
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading The pursuers were at the brink.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The pursuers were at the brink.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They gazed at the pool.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading No ruddier stain crimsoned the tide; no figure rested on the naked rock; no hand clung to the motionless tree.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A few bubbles floated upon its surface, and burst.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The pursuers were at the brink.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The water was slightly discolored with sand.
Chapter 3 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Rookwood, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23564 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23564, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rookwood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Rookwood 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 Rookwood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
