Chapter 3 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night? About being prefects?” The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up. In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness. Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
Chapter 3 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
delicately beautiful
From this reading “Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.”
English writer of adventure novels featuring Captain Horatio Hornblower (1899-1966)
From this reading “The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.”
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading “The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.”
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading “In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.”
violent pangs of suffering
From this reading “The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.”
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading “The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.”
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 LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?”
In this reading “The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.”
In this reading “THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?”
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 In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About being prefects?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading About being prefects?”
possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
delicately beautiful
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
English writer of adventure novels featuring Captain Horatio Hornblower (1899-1966)
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
brought about or caused; not spontaneous
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
immediately past
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About being prefects?”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
that is looked for
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
violent pangs of suffering
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The twins had sought Helen Forester in her study, finding her in the throes of packing up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In itself this was a distressing sight, and induced seriousness.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Every one had been proud of the Captain’s pretty room, with its dainty furniture.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE LAST DAYS OF TERM ‟YOU didn’t truly mean it, Helen—last night?
Chapter 3 of The Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 256 sentences of The Twins of Emu Plains, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60447 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60447, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Twins of Emu Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Twins of Emu Plains 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 Twins of Emu Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
