Chapter 3 of The Basket Woman is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Basket Woman is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They should be straight," said the seedling fir. "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight." He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs. "I shall be straight," said the seedling fir. "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
Chapter 3 of The Basket Woman is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading “He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.”
plural of “fibre” — a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn
From this reading “"I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."”
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading “"They should be straight," said the seedling fir.”
young plant or tree grown from a seed
From this reading “"They should be straight," said the seedling fir.”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “"They should be straight," said the seedling fir.”
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “"I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."”
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading “He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.”
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.
any of various evergreen trees of the genus Abies; chiefly of upland areas
In this reading “"I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."”
seek information from
In this reading “He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.”
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 "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
plural of “fibre” — a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
young plant or tree grown from a seed
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall be straight," said the seedling fir.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
successive (without a break)
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They should be straight," said the seedling fir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Ah, do not be too sure of it," said the fir mother.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "I feel it in my fibres that a fir tree should be straight."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
precisely as stated
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He looked up at the fir mother very far above him on her way to the sky, with the sun and the wind in her star-built boughs.
Chapter 3 of The Basket Woman by Mary Austin holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Basket Woman, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Basket Woman by Mary Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 The Basket Woman by Mary Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35502 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35502, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 135 minutes of reading across 327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Basket Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Basket Woman 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 The Basket Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
