Chapter 3 of The Mettle of the Pasture is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Mettle of the Pasture is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"She will not tell." "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject. She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence. "What did you think of the sermon this morning?" "The sermon on the prodigal?
Chapter 3 of The Mettle of the Pasture is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
-ing form of “check” — examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “"Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.”
determining or having the power to determine an outcome
From this reading “She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “"Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “"Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.”
a recklessly extravagant consumer
From this reading “"The sermon on the prodigal?”
an established line of travel or access
From this reading “She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.”
an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)
From this reading “"What did you think of the sermon this morning?"”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
-ing form of “check” — examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
determining or having the power to determine an outcome
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
command with authority
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
to come or go into
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "She will not tell."
widely known and esteemed
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The sermon on the prodigal?
a recklessly extravagant consumer
From this reading "The sermon on the prodigal?
an established line of travel or access
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She will not tell."
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
express in words
From this reading "She will not tell."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ah!" he cried, checking himself gravely and dropping the subject.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "She will not tell."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She noted the decisive change of tone: it was not by this direct route that she would be able to enter his confidence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What did you think of the sermon this morning?"
Chapter 3 of The Mettle of the Pasture by James Lane Allen holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Mettle of the Pasture, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Mettle of the Pasture by James Lane Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Mettle of the Pasture by James Lane Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4385 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mettle of the Pasture section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Mettle of the Pasture 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 Mettle of the Pasture, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
