Chapter 5 of Adrift in the Wilds is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Adrift in the Wilds is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CALIFORNIA COAST. They were safe at last! The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth. Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party. "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
Chapter 5 of Adrift in the Wilds is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “THE CALIFORNIA COAST.”
full of or producing joy
From this reading “Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.”
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading “Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.”
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading “The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.”
plural of “rod” — a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.”
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading “Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.”
walking with your feet in shallow water
From this reading “The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.”
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 four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were safe at last!
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading THE CALIFORNIA COAST.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading THE CALIFORNIA COAST.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
set up or found
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
full of or producing joy
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
immediately past
From this reading They were safe at last!
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
plural of “rod” — a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading They were safe at last!
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CALIFORNIA COAST.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were safe at last!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Isn't this grand!" exclaimed Elwood.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
walking with your feet in shallow water
From this reading The four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were safe at last!
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
Chapter 5 of Adrift in the Wilds by Edward Sylvester Ellis holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 5 holds 68 sentences of Adrift in the Wilds, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Adrift in the Wilds by Edward Sylvester Ellis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 5 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 Adrift in the Wilds by Edward Sylvester Ellis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3311 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 275 minutes of reading across 663 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Adrift in the Wilds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Adrift in the Wilds 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 Adrift in the Wilds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
