Chapter 1 of A Phyllis of the Sierras is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Phyllis of the Sierras is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He produced the note Bradley had returned to him. “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley. He said I was to give it to--to--to--Mrs. Bradley.” He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other. “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
Chapter 1 of A Phyllis of the Sierras is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 21/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
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.
United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998)
From this reading “He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading ““I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ““It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.”
a brief written record
From this reading “He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.”
superlative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading ““I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.”
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading “He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.”
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 “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998)
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He said I was to give it to--to--to--Mrs. Bradley.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
the sound of laughing
From this reading “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading He said I was to give it to--to--to--Mrs. Bradley.”
a brief written record
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused, glancing embarrassedly from the one to the other.
superlative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said I was to give it to--to--to--Mrs. Bradley.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It's mine, in fact--that is, I brought it to Mr. Bradley.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He produced the note Bradley had returned to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said I was to give it to--to--to--Mrs. Bradley.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I'm Mrs. Bradley,” said the prettiest one, with a laugh.
Chapter 1 of A Phyllis of the Sierras by Bret Harte holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 169 sentences of A Phyllis of the Sierras, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Phyllis of the Sierras by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Phyllis of the Sierras by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2711 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2711, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 115 minutes of reading across 279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Phyllis of the Sierras section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Phyllis of the Sierras 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 Phyllis of the Sierras, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
