Chapter 3 of The King of Ireland's Son is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The King of Ireland's Son is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows. And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk. The Cats are not a respectable people.” One noonday there were men in the Forge. They were talking to the Smith.
Chapter 3 of The King of Ireland's Son is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
(used in the plural) a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument
From this reading “Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.”
plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.”
plural of “feast” — a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading “And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.”
create by hammering
From this reading “Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading “The Cats are not a respectable people.””
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “They were talking to the Smith.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “They were talking to the Smith.”
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading “And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.”
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 The Cats are not a respectable people.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Cats are not a respectable people.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
(used in the plural) a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
plural of “feast” — a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
create by hammering
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
the force of workers available
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
the middle of the day
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Cats are not a respectable people.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The Cats are not a respectable people.”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading The Cats are not a respectable people.”
express in words
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading They were talking to the Smith.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading They were talking to the Smith.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
in or at that place or location
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were talking to the Smith.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Cock-o’-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on the bellows.
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading One noonday there were men in the Forge.
at the time that
From this reading And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts he used to waken up and say to himself, “I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk, I’m Cock-o’-the-Walk.
Chapter 3 of The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 430 sentences of The King of Ireland's Son, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3934 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3495 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3495, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 327 minutes of reading across 787 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King of Ireland's Son section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The King of Ireland's Son 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 King of Ireland's Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
