Chapter 3 of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Christmas Day came. Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door. Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner. Dinner was the principal event in the day with her. Alas, poor lady!
Chapter 3 of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading “Alas, poor lady!”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “Christmas Day came.”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.”
being ten more than thirty
From this reading “Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.”
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.”
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading “Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.”
having a saddle on or being mounted on a saddled animal
From this reading “Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.”
plural of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.”
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 Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading Alas, poor lady!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Christmas Day came.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Christmas Day came.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Christmas Day came.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Alas, poor lady!
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
having a saddle on or being mounted on a saddled animal
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
plural of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Algy's mother, a lady of forty summers, spent the morning superintending the dinner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Algy's father gave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dinner was the principal event in the day with her.
Chapter 3 of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories by A. B. (Andrew Barton) Paterson holds 19 sentences, grouped into 4 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 19 sentences of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories by A. B. (Andrew Barton) Paterson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 19 sentences, grouped into 4 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 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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 Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories by A. B. (Andrew Barton) Paterson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 147 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #307, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 12 minutes of reading across 30 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories 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 Three Elephant Power, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
