Chapter 3 of The Moorland Cottage is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Moorland Cottage is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure. A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home. "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't. Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then. Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
Chapter 3 of The Moorland Cottage is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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 block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading “A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.”
large lemonlike fruit with thick aromatic rind; usually preserved
From this reading “Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"”
possessive form of “edward” — King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading “In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.”
cake flavored with ginger
From this reading “A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.”
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading “Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"”
a wrapped container
From this reading “A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.”
past form of “soothe” — give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading “A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.”
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.”
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 great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
large lemonlike fruit with thick aromatic rind; usually preserved
From this reading Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
the act of departing
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
possessive form of “edward” — King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
cake flavored with ginger
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
immediately past
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
the act of departing
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
a wrapped container
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Did Nancy put any citron in the cake?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
express in words
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
in the near future
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
past form of “soothe” — give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading A great cake and a parcel of gingerbread soothed his sorrows on leaving home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading In three weeks, the day came for Edward's departure.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
produce a literary work
From this reading Christmas will soon be here, and I dare say I shall find time to write to you now and then.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't cry, Maggie!" said he to her on the last morning; "you see I don't.
Chapter 3 of The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 186 sentences of The Moorland Cottage, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2583 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11371 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11371, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 215 minutes of reading across 517 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Moorland Cottage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Moorland Cottage 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 Moorland Cottage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
