Chapter 3 of The Narrow House is here in full — 690 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Narrow House is here in full — 690 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying. In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell. There were maple trees against her window. The leaves were yellowing. When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
Chapter 3 of The Narrow House is here in full — 690 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/138 · 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.
house for a farmer and family
From this reading “There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.”
create by hammering
From this reading “There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.”
the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled
From this reading “In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.”
wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “There were maple trees against her window.”
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading “When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.”
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.”
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading “When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.”
-ing form of “yellow” — turn yellow
From this reading “The leaves were yellowing.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “There were maple trees against her window.”
In this reading “When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.”
In this reading “In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.”
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 There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading There were maple trees against her window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
house for a farmer and family
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
create by hammering
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The leaves were yellowing.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading There were maple trees against her window.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading In the morning in the silence the first sound Winnie heard was the chiming of the hammer like a bell.
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There were maple trees against her window.
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
at the time that
From this reading When the sun shone through them they were a silken veil of light.
in or at the place that
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading There were maple trees against her window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a blacksmith's forge down the road by the farmhouse where Winnie and her mother were staying.
-ing form of “yellow” — turn yellow
From this reading The leaves were yellowing.
Chapter 3 of The Narrow House by Evelyn Scott holds 690 sentences, grouped into 138 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 690 sentences of The Narrow House, unabridged, divided into 138 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Narrow House by Evelyn Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 690 sentences, grouped into 138 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 138 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 138 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 Narrow House by Evelyn Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5051 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42534 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42534, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 420 minutes of reading across 1011 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Narrow House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Narrow House 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 Narrow House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
