Chapter 3 of The Mother is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Mother is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp. "She's a bridesmaid," the boy added. "Oh!" ejaculated the curate. "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning. "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
Chapter 3 of The Mother is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding
From this reading “"She's a bridesmaid," the boy added.”
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “"Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.”
every person
From this reading “"Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “"Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.”
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading “The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.”
in a wistful manner
From this reading “"Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."”
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 curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "She's a bridesmaid," the boy added.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
a youthful male person
From this reading "She's a bridesmaid," the boy added.
an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding
From this reading "She's a bridesmaid," the boy added.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh!" ejaculated the curate.
every person
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!" ejaculated the curate.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
express in words
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's a bridesmaid," the boy added.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
in a wistful manner
From this reading "Everybody says that," he went on, wistfully; "and I don't know why."
in the company of; together with
From this reading The curate came to himself with a start and a gasp.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why do you say, 'Oh!'" the boy complained, frowning.
Chapter 3 of The Mother by Norman Duncan holds 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 451 sentences of The Mother, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Mother by Norman Duncan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Mother by Norman Duncan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 178 minutes of reading across 429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mother section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Mother 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 Mother, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
