Chapter 3 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Am I? Then I must ask your pardon. But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?" "How stupid you are, Hans! If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
Chapter 3 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"”
react verbally
From this reading “If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"”
any thing at all
From this reading “If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Then I must ask your pardon.”
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"”
plural of “han” — imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
From this reading “"How stupid you are, Hans!”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “Then I must ask your pardon.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “"How stupid you are, Hans!”
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 If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Am I?
react verbally
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
any thing at all
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How stupid you are, Hans!
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then I must ask your pardon.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
at or toward the back of something
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
plural of “han” — imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
From this reading "How stupid you are, Hans!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How stupid you are, Hans!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Am I?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Then I must ask your pardon.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
accept an excuse for
From this reading Then I must ask your pardon.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading "How stupid you are, Hans!
express in words
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I must ask your pardon.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If the new life were behind me I might be able to answer, but how can I tell how I shall like what I don't know anything about?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But tell me, Gertie, what do you think of the new life that is before you?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then I must ask your pardon.
Chapter 3 of The Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of The Settler and the Savage, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 801 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Settler and the Savage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Settler and the Savage 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 Settler and the Savage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
