Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc. THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.) At that instant the bear came to life .
A Mountain Boyhood
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
J.
H.
SEARS &
COMPANY,
Inc.
THE
BOY
SCOUTS
OF
AMERICA
(INC.)
At
that
instant
the
bear
came
to
life .
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
A Mountain Boyhood
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
J.
H.
SEARS &
COMPANY,
Inc.
/dʒeɪ eɪtʃ sɪrz ˈkʌmpəniː ɪŋk/
Line 2
THE
BOY
SCOUTS
OF
AMERICA
(INC.)
/ðə bɔɪ skaʊts ʌv əˈmerəkə ɪŋk/
Line 3
At
that
instant
the
bear
came
to
life .
/æt ðæt ˈɪnstənt ðə ber keɪm tuː laɪf/
Line 4
Line 5
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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)”
have
From this reading “At that instant the bear came to life .”
a youthful male person
From this reading “THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)”
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading “J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.”
Inc
noun
US /ɪŋk/
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading “J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “At that instant the bear came to life .”
scouts
noun
US /skaʊts/
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)”
sears
verb
US /sɪrz/
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading “J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 17
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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
have
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
a youthful male person
From this reading THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.
IncnounUS /ɪŋk/
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)
SCOUTSnounUS /skaʊts/
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)
SEARSverbUS /sɪrz/
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading J. H. SEARS & COMPANY, Inc.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (INC.)
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At that instant the bear came to life .
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood by Joe Mills holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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.
What does chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood contain?
Chapter 1 holds 407 sentences of A Mountain Boyhood, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood by Joe Mills exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 1 of A Mountain Boyhood?
Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 1 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 A Mountain Boyhood
Common questions about reading A Mountain Boyhood by Joe Mills on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of A Mountain Boyhood?
Yes. All 3347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of A Mountain Boyhood is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #29681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does A Mountain Boyhood take to read?
About 278 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read A Mountain Boyhood section by section
How to work through A Mountain Boyhood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Mountain Boyhood to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in A Mountain Boyhood
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Mountain Boyhood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Sears
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Mountain Boyhood; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Company
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Mountain Boyhood; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Scouts
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Mountain Boyhood; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- America
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Mountain Boyhood; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.