Chapter 3 of The Valley of Decision is here in full — 1923 sentences across 385 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Valley of Decision is here in full — 1923 sentences across 385 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE REWARD. Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows? 4.1. One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad. The city was already dressed for a festival.
Chapter 3 of The Valley of Decision is here in full — 1923 sentences across 385 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/384 · 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.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.”
a day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration
From this reading “The city was already dressed for a festival.”
a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
From this reading “One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.”
past form of “perish” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?”
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?”
the first light of day
From this reading “One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.”
the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
From this reading “One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.”
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading “Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4.1.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
a day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
march in a procession
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
past form of “perish” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading THE REWARD.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
the first light of day
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE REWARD.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The city was already dressed for a festival.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
which person or people
From this reading Where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?
in the company of; together with
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading One bright March day in the year 1783 the bells of Pianura began to ring at sunrise, and with their first peal the townsfolk were abroad.
Chapter 3 of The Valley of Decision by Edith Wharton holds 1923 sentences, grouped into 385 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 1923 sentences of The Valley of Decision, unabridged, divided into 385 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Valley of Decision by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1923 sentences, grouped into 385 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 385 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 385 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 Valley of Decision by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5164 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4327 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4327, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 430 minutes of reading across 1033 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Valley of Decision section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Valley of Decision 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 Valley of Decision, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
