Chapter 3 of Star of Mercia is here in full — 411 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 Star of Mercia is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?" Her lips moved. Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!" "Dost thou hate Cynyr?" "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
Chapter 3 of Star of Mercia is here in full — 411 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.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"”
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading “"Dost thou hate Cynyr?"”
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “"Dost thou hate Cynyr?"”
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading “"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"”
annoy persistently
From this reading “"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"”
the act of searching for something
From this reading “"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"”
unbearable physical pain
From this reading “"Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"”
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 "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
a female human offspring
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading "Dost thou hate Cynyr?"
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading "Dost thou hate Cynyr?"
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her lips moved.
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Her lips moved.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Her lips moved.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I hate him in my heart!" cried she.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
annoy persistently
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
the act of searching for something
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
a male human offspring
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "Dost thou hate Cynyr?"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
unbearable physical pain
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Some thought she whispered hoarsely: "I do not!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Daughter," said David, "why do you torment and pester Cynyr son of Cyngen, a hermit seeking God?"
Chapter 3 of Star of Mercia by Blanche Devereux holds 411 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 411 sentences of Star of Mercia, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Star of Mercia by Blanche Devereux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 Star of Mercia by Blanche Devereux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39903 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39903, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 204 minutes of reading across 490 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Star of Mercia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Star of Mercia 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 Star of Mercia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
