Chapter 3 of The Betrothal is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Betrothal is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GRANNY TYL Tyltyl! Tyltyl!... Gracious, you again!... But this time it's not a surprise. We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
Chapter 3 of The Betrothal is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “Gracious, you again!...”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “GRANNY TYL Tyltyl!”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “But this time it's not a surprise.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
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 “We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....”
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 this time it's not a surprise.
anew
From this reading Gracious, you again!...
in the past
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading Gracious, you again!...
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading GRANNY TYL Tyltyl!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But this time it's not a surprise.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GRANNY TYL Tyltyl!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GRANNY TYL Tyltyl!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were expecting you; we were told three days ago....
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Gracious, you again!...
Chapter 3 of The Betrothal by Maurice Maeterlinck holds 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 477 sentences of The Betrothal, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Betrothal by Maurice Maeterlinck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Betrothal by Maurice Maeterlinck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34343 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34343, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 122 minutes of reading across 294 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Betrothal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Betrothal 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 Betrothal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
