Rosin the Beau

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Rosin the Beau is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Rosin the Beau

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Rosin the Beau is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

/aɪ wɑːz twelv jɪrz oʊld wen maɪ ˈmʌðər daɪd/

Line 2

She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

/ʃiː hæd noʊ ˈɪlnəs ɔːr nʌn ðæt wiː hæd noʊn ʌv ðə swiːt soʊl ʌv hɜːr slɪpt əˈweɪ ɪn ðə naɪt laɪk ə bɜːrd ənd left ðə ˈbɑːdi ˈsmaɪlɪŋ əˈsliːp/

Line 3

We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

Line 4

There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

/ðer meɪ hæv bɪn tɔːk bɪˈhaɪnd ðə ˈvɪlədʒ dɔːrz bʌt maɪ ˈfɑːðər ˈnevər æskt/

Line 5

She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

/ʃiː wɑːz ɡɔːn ənd hɪz hɑːrt wɑːz ɡɔːn wɪð hɜːr maɪ puːr ˈfɑːðər/

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.

asleep adjective US /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading “She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.”

bird noun US /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading “She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.”

doors noun US /dɔːrz/

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading “There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.”

illness noun US /ˈɪlnəs/

impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism

From this reading “She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.”

slipped verb US /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading “She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.”

smiling noun US /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading “She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.”

torment noun US /ˈtɔːrment/

unbearable physical pain

From this reading “We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.”

twelve noun US /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading “I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

ailed

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

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

birdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

doorsnounUS /dɔːrz/

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

how

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

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

illnessnounUS /ˈɪlnəs/

impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

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

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading She was gone, and his heart was gone with her, my poor father.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

slippedverbUS /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

smilingnounUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

tormentnounUS /ˈtɔːrment/

unbearable physical pain

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

twelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading There may have been talk behind the village doors, but my father never asked.

WASauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading She had no illness, or none that we had known of; the sweet soul of her slipped away in the night like a bird, and left the body smiling asleep.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We never knew what ailed her; people did not torment themselves in those days with the "how" of a thing.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading I WAS twelve years old when my mother died.

Chapter 3 of Rosin the Beau by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 Rosin the Beau contain?

Chapter 3 holds 95 sentences of Rosin the Beau, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Rosin the Beau by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Rosin the Beau?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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 Rosin the Beau

Common questions about reading Rosin the Beau by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Rosin the Beau?

Yes. All 1452 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27607 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Rosin the Beau is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #27607, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Rosin the Beau take to read?

About 121 minutes of reading across 291 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Rosin the Beau section by section

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Vocabulary met early in Rosin the Beau

Words and structures a reader meets early in Rosin the Beau, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Melody: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rosin the Beau; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Child: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rosin the Beau; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Write: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rosin the Beau; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rosin the Beau; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter III · Chapter 3

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Vocabulary met early in Rosin the Beau