Chapter 1 of A Voice in the Wilderness is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Voice in the Wilderness is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity. The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men. However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality. He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar? D'j'yeh drap er climb?"
Chapter 1 of A Voice in the Wilderness is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “D'j'yeh drap er climb?"”
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading “However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?”
more desirable than another
From this reading “The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.”
vulgar or irreverent speech or action
From this reading “The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.”
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.”
past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold
From this reading “The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.”
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
From this reading “The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.”
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 The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading D'j'yeh drap er climb?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'j'yeh drap er climb?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'j'yeh drap er climb?"
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
From this reading D'j'yeh drap er climb?"
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
a young female
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
the force of workers available
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
more desirable than another
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
vulgar or irreverent speech or action
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading However, these remarks seemed to be a mere formality.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The horse came to a standstill a little way from the track, and his rider let forth a stream of strange profanity.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading The girl shuddered and began to think a wild beast might be preferable to some men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He paused and addressed her: "Heow'd yeh git up thar?
Chapter 1 of A Voice in the Wilderness by Grace Livingston Hill holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of A Voice in the Wilderness, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Voice in the Wilderness by Grace Livingston Hill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Voice in the Wilderness by Grace Livingston Hill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5211 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Voice in the Wilderness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of A Voice in the Wilderness 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 Voice in the Wilderness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
