Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart. There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region. A few supplies were freighted by wagon. However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game. Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 3/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 11–15
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 “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.”
having a high state of culture and development both social and technological
From this reading “However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.”
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading “However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.”
plural of “source” — the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading “However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.”
plural of “stage” — any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.”
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading “A few supplies were freighted by wagon.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading “Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.”
still in doubt
From this reading “There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.”
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.
brown mottled North American grouse of western prairies
In this reading “Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.”
In this reading “Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.”
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 A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
having a high state of culture and development both social and technological
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
plural of “source” — the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
plural of “stage” — any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading Myriads of prairie chickens were almost as tame as domestic fowls.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
still in doubt
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading A few supplies were freighted by wagon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no railroad; no stages supplied the vast unsettled region.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Near neighbors were twenty miles or more apart.
in the company of; together with
From this reading However, little was needed from civilized sources, for the frontier teemed with game.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Common questions about reading A Mountain Boyhood by Joe Mills on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Mountain Boyhood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Mountain Boyhood 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 A Mountain Boyhood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
