Chapter 3 of The Sheep-Stealers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Sheep-Stealers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered. All were smoking. Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer. "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company. "Indeed, so it be, sir.
Chapter 3 of The Sheep-Stealers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
shining intensely
From this reading “THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.”
slightly wet
From this reading “"Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.”
showing deference
From this reading “Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.”
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading “"Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.”
move with force
From this reading “Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.”
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading “THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.”
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “All were smoking.”
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 “THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.”
the act of forcing the enemy to withdraw
In this reading “Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.”
seek information from
In this reading “THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.”
In this reading “Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.”
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 DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All were smoking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Indeed, so it be, sir.
shining intensely
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
slightly wet
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
showing deference
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
start firing a weapon
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed, so it be, sir.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Indeed, so it be, sir.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
the force of workers available
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
move with force
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
cut with a saw
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Indeed, so it be, sir.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading All were smoking.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Indeed, so it be, sir.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very damp night outside," observed Rhys, nodding to the company.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All were smoking.
at the time that
From this reading Those on the chairs gave them a deferential push back when they saw the new-comer.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading THE DIPPING-POOL A GROUP of men, sitting round a blazing fire, some on heavy wooden chairs, some on a long settle, looked up as he entered.
Chapter 3 of The Sheep-Stealers by Violet Jacob holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 140 sentences of The Sheep-Stealers, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Sheep-Stealers by Violet Jacob exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Sheep-Stealers by Violet Jacob on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57427 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57427, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1138 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sheep-Stealers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Sheep-Stealers 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 Sheep-Stealers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
