Chapter 3 of Tales of South Africa is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Tales of South Africa is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light. In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman. Now she looked almost fiendish. "`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn. `_Poor_ Dirk?
Chapter 3 of Tales of South Africa is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “"At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.”
a relatively long dagger with a straight blade
From this reading “"At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.”
extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell
From this reading “Now she looked almost fiendish.”
provoking horror
From this reading “"`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.”
make reference to
From this reading “"At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.”
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “"`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.”
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading “"`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.”
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 “In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.”
In this reading “"At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.”
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 "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Now she looked almost fiendish.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
a relatively long dagger with a straight blade
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell
From this reading Now she looked almost fiendish.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
provoking horror
From this reading "`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Now she looked almost fiendish.
make reference to
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now she looked almost fiendish.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading "`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now she looked almost fiendish.
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading "`_Poor_ Dirk?' she shrieked with a horrible scorn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "At the mention of Dirk her whole expression changed; her eyes filled with a terrible light.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was a hard-featured, ugly woman.
Chapter 3 of Tales of South Africa by H. A. (Henry Anderson) Bryden holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Tales of South Africa, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Tales of South Africa by H. A. (Henry Anderson) Bryden exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Tales of South Africa by H. A. (Henry Anderson) Bryden on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2943 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 245 minutes of reading across 589 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of South Africa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Tales of South Africa 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 Tales of South Africa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
