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The Delectable Duchy
The Delectable Duchy

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Delectable Duchy
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.
"But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!
There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"
"Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.
To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Delectable Duchy

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.
Line 2
"But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!
Line 3
There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"
Line 4
"Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.
Line 5
To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

Learner Dictionary

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.

afire adjective US /əˈfaɪr/

lighted up by or as by fire or flame

From this reading “There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"”

alters verb US /ˈɔːltərz/

third-person singular of “alter” — cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading “"Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.”

Andrew noun US /ˈændruː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland

From this reading “Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.”

blessed adjective US /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading “"But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!”

Divine adjective US /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading “To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."”

Glory noun US /ˈɡlɔːri/

a state of high honor

From this reading “To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."”

parish noun US /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading “To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."”

proclamation noun US /ˌprɑːkləˈmeɪʃən/

a formal public statement

From this reading “"Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

afireadjectiveUS /əˈfaɪr/

lighted up by or as by fire or flame

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

altersverbUS /ˈɔːltərz/

third-person singular of “alter” — cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

AndrewnounUS /ˈændruː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland

From this reading Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

blessamercy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

blessedadjectiveUS /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

DivineadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

GlorynounUS /ˈɡlɔːri/

a state of high honor

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

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 To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

mornin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

OffadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

Penhaligon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

proclamationnounUS /ˌprɑːkləˈmeɪʃən/

a formal public statement

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading Off ran Andrew Penhaligon.

ringverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

servicenounUS /ˈsɜːrvəs/

work done by one person or group that benefits another

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

There's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

tisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading "Oh, if you're all here, that alters the case; for 'tis only a proclamation I have to give out at present.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

To-morrow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

warnin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

we're

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But, blessed father of us," said one or two, "we're all _here_!

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading To-morrow mornin'--Glory be to God!--I give warnin' that Divine service will take place in the parish church."

you're

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's no call to ring the church bell, seem' you're neither dead nor afire, blessamercy!"

Chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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.

What does chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy contain?

Chapter 3 holds 432 sentences of The Delectable Duchy, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of The Delectable Duchy?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Delectable Duchy

Common questions about reading The Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Delectable Duchy?

Yes. All 3058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Delectable Duchy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12277, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Delectable Duchy take to read?

About 254 minutes of reading across 612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Delectable Duchy section by section

How to work through The Delectable Duchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Delectable Duchy

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Delectable Duchy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Friend
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Delectable Duchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journalist
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Delectable Duchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wrote
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Delectable Duchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remind
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Delectable Duchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.