Chapter 3 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast! As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears. But she was too sensible a girl to weep long. She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done. It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
Chapter 3 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.”
the mother of your spouse
From this reading “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading “Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!”
assume a prim appearance
From this reading “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.”
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.”
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 “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
In this reading “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
In this reading “As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.”
In this reading “But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.”
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 But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
deem to be
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
dearly loved
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
a young female
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
the mother of your spouse
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
assume a prim appearance
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
in the near future
From this reading Poor Ruth! her sky so soon overcast!
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the door closed on the prim, retreating figure of her mother-in-law, she burst into tears.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading But she was too sensible a girl to weep long.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading She wiped her eyes, and began to consider what was to be done.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would never do to complain to Harry--dear Harry.
Chapter 3 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern holds 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 50 sentences of Ruth Hall, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ruth Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Ruth Hall 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 Ruth Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
