Chapter 3 of They and I is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of They and I is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IT was the cow that woke me the first morning. I did not know it was our cow—not at the time. I didn’t know we had a cow. I looked at my watch; it was half-past two. I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
Chapter 3 of They and I is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.”
by chance
From this reading “I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.”
look attentively
From this reading “I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.”
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 I didn’t know we had a cow.
anew
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t know we had a cow.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I didn’t know we had a cow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.
by chance
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I did not know it was our cow—not at the time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
look attentively
From this reading I looked at my watch; it was half-past two.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I didn’t know we had a cow.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading IT was the cow that woke me the first morning.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I thought maybe she would go to sleep again, but her idea was that the day had begun.
Chapter 3 of They and I by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of They and I, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of They and I by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 They and I by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5022 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 418 minutes of reading across 1005 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through They and I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of They and I 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 They and I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
