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.
Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers. Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up. Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber. Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers. In my father's old diary I found the following:
Chapter 1 of A Mountain Boyhood is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 4/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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 “cabin” — small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading “Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.”
plural of “drove” — a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading “Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.”
plural of “fringe” — the outside boundary or surface of something
From this reading “Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.”
plural of “pioneer” — someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art
From this reading “Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.”
past form of “roam” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.”
past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.”
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading “Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.”
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading “Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.”
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.
a cabin built with logs
In this reading “Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.”
In this reading “Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.”
In this reading “Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.”
In this reading “Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.”
In this reading “Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.”
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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
plural of “band” — an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
plural of “cabin” — small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
plural of “drove” — a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
set up or found
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
in a free manner
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
plural of “fringe” — the outside boundary or surface of something
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading In my father's old diary I found the following:
plural of “pioneer” — someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
past form of “roam” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
large gallinaceous bird with fan-shaped tail; widely domesticated for food
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Bands of buffalo snorted in surprise as the first dark lines of sod were broken up.
exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity
From this reading Deer stared in wide-eyed amazement at the early settlers.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Droves of wild turkey skirted the fringes of timber.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Indians roamed freely; halting in wonder at the first log cabins of the pioneers.
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.
