Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Town and Country
Town and Country

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Town and Country is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Town and Country
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.
"Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.
"Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?
Yes, Julia, God will provide.
My soul, trust thou in God!"
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Town and Country

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Town and Country is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.
/ˈdeɪlaɪt breɪks ənd ðə ˈdwelərz əˈpɑːn ə ˈθaʊzənd hɪlz rɪˈdʒɔɪs ɪn ðə fɜːrst reɪz ʌv ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ sʌn/
Line 2
"Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.
Line 3
"Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?
/jes wɑːz ðə rɪˈplaɪ ənd hiː huː əˈlaʊz nɑːt ə ˈsperoʊ tuː fɔːl ənˈnoʊtɪst ʃæl hiː nɑːt mʌtʃ mɔːr ker fɔːr ʌs/
Line 4
Yes, Julia, God will provide.
Line 5
My soul, trust thou in God!"
/maɪ soʊl trʌst ðaʊ ɪn ɡɑːd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

allows verb US /əˈlaʊz/

third-person singular of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading “"Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?”

breaks noun US /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading “Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.”

Didst auxiliary verb US /dɪdst/

an old form of “did”, used with “thou”

From this reading “"Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.”

dwellers noun US /ˈdwelərz/

plural of “dweller” — a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading “Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.”

feverish adjective US /ˈfiːvərɪʃ/

marked by intense agitation or emotion

From this reading “"Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.”

rejoice verb US /rɪˈdʒɔɪs/

feel happiness or joy

From this reading “Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.”

sparrow noun US /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading “"Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?”

unnoticed adjective US /ənˈnoʊtɪst/

not noticed

From this reading “"Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

allowsverbUS /əˈlaʊz/

third-person singular of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

bentnounUS /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

breaksnounUS /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

DaylightnounUS /ˈdeɪlaɪt/

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

Didstauxiliary verbUS /dɪdst/

an old form of “did”, used with “thou”

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

dwellersnounUS /ˈdwelərz/

plural of “dweller” — a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

feverishadjectiveUS /ˈfiːvərɪʃ/

marked by intense agitation or emotion

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

Julia

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, Julia, God will provide.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My soul, trust thou in God!"

neatly-furnished

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

provideverbUS /prəˈvaɪd/

give something useful or necessary to

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

raysnounUS /reɪz/

plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

rejoiceverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪs/

feel happiness or joy

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

replynounUS /rɪˈplaɪ/

a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading My soul, trust thou in God!"

sparrownounUS /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

trustnounUS /trʌst/

something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)

From this reading My soul, trust thou in God!"

unnoticedadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊtɪst/

not noticed

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Daylight breaks, and the dwellers upon a thousand hills rejoice in the first rays of the morning sun.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes," was the reply; "and he who allows not a sparrow to fall unnoticed, shall he not much more care for us?

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading "Didst thou ever hear that promise, 'God will provide'? inquired a pale, yet beautiful girl, as she bent over the form of a feverish woman, in a small, yet neatly-furnished room.

Chapter 3 of Town and Country by John S. (John Stowell) Adams holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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.

What does chapter 3 of Town and Country contain?

Chapter 3 holds 289 sentences of Town and Country, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Town and Country by John S. (John Stowell) Adams exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Town and Country?

Work through the 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 58 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Town and Country

Common questions about reading Town and Country by John S. (John Stowell) Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Town and Country?

Yes. All 4543 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4669 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Town and Country is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4669, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Town and Country take to read?

About 378 minutes of reading across 909 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Town and Country section by section

How to work through Town and Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of Town and Country to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Town and Country

Words and structures a reader meets early in Town and Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stern
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Town and Country; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gruff
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Town and Country; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Voice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Town and Country; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Addressing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Town and Country; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.