Chapter 3 of The tale of Mistah Mule is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The tale of Mistah Mule is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Huh!” he grunted. “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?” XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace. It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa! Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.
Chapter 3 of The tale of Mistah Mule is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading ““Huh!” he grunted.”
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading “XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.”
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading ““Thinks they kin pass me, does they?””
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.”
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading “XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.”
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading “It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!”
past form of “slacken” — become slow or slower
From this reading “XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.”
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading “It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!”
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 “Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.”
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 XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
for the reason that
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading “Huh!” he grunted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Huh!” he grunted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Huh!” he grunted.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
immediately past
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
not any; not one
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
go across or through
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
past form of “slacken” — become slow or slower
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “Thinks they kin pass me, does they?”
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Whoa!” that Mistah Mule fell into a walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
at the time that
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn’t because Johnnie Green tugged on the reins and cried, “Whoa!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading XX THE LOAD OF HAY If Mistah Mule hadn’t at last overtaken a load of hay in the road, there’s no telling when he would have slackened his pace.
Chapter 3 of The tale of Mistah Mule by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The tale of Mistah Mule, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The tale of Mistah Mule by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 tale of Mistah Mule by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Mistah Mule section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The tale of Mistah Mule 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 tale of Mistah Mule, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
