Chapter 3 of The Countess Cathleen is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Countess Cathleen is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.) FIRST MERCHANT. Has no one got a better soul than that? If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us. A WOMAN.
Chapter 3 of The Countess Cathleen is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading “(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)”
approval
From this reading “If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.”
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading “FIRST MERCHANT.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)”
plural of “parish” — a local church community
From this reading “If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.”
plural of “sink” — plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
From this reading “(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)”
plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act
From this reading “(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)”
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading “If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.”
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 (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
approval
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading FIRST MERCHANT.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading FIRST MERCHANT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
not any; not one
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
and nothing more
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
plural of “parish” — a local church community
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
plural of “sink” — plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Has no one got a better soul than that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
in or at the place that
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading (A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE-AGED-MAN takes money, and slips into background, where he sinks on to a seat.)
in the company of; together with
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A WOMAN.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
Chapter 3 of The Countess Cathleen by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of The Countess Cathleen, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Countess Cathleen by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Countess Cathleen by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1317 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5167, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 109 minutes of reading across 264 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Countess Cathleen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Countess Cathleen 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 Countess Cathleen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
