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California Sketches, New Series
California Sketches, New Series

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for California Sketches, New Series
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
New Series.
With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.
The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.
A Word.
Encores are usually anticlimaxes.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

California Sketches, New Series

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
New Series.
/nuː ˈsɪriz/
Line 2
With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.
/wɪð æn ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən baɪ ˈbɪʃəp dʒɔːrdʒ ef pɪrs/
Line 3
The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.
Line 4
A Word.
/ə wɜːrd/
Line 5
Encores are usually anticlimaxes.

Learner Dictionary

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.

attire noun US /əˈtaɪər/

clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

bearded adjective US /ˈbɪrdəd/

having hair on the cheeks and chin

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

Encores noun US /ˈɑːnkɔːrz/

plural of “encore” — an extra or repeated performance; usually given in response to audience demand

From this reading “Encores are usually anticlimaxes.”

muse noun US /mjuːz/

in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

peer noun US /pɪr/

a person who is of equal standing with another in a group

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

Pierce verb US /pɪrs/

cut or make a way through

From this reading “With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.”

shadowy adjective US /ˈʃædoʊi/

filled with shade

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

visions noun US /ˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “vision” — a vivid mental image

From this reading “The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A Word.

AgainadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

anticlimaxes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Encores are usually anticlimaxes.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Encores are usually anticlimaxes.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

attirenounUS /əˈtaɪər/

clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

beardedadjectiveUS /ˈbɪrdəd/

having hair on the cheeks and chin

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

BishopnounUS /ˈbɪʃəp/

a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

buriedadjectiveUS /ˈberid/

placed in a grave

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/

in a dim indistinct manner

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

EncoresnounUS /ˈɑːnkɔːrz/

plural of “encore” — an extra or repeated performance; usually given in response to audience demand

From this reading Encores are usually anticlimaxes.

FnounUS /ef/

a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

fleetnounUS /fliːt/

group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

IntroductionnounUS /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

LikeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

musenounUS /mjuːz/

in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

nervesnounUS /nɜːrvz/

an uneasy psychological state

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading New Series.

o'eradverb

throughout a period of time

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

painnounUS /peɪn/

a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

peernounUS /pɪr/

a person who is of equal standing with another in a group

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

PierceverbUS /pɪrs/

cut or make a way through

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

rudeadjectiveUS /ruːd/

socially incorrect in behavior

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

SeriesnounUS /ˈsɪriz/

similar things placed in order or happening one after another

From this reading New Series.

shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/

filled with shade

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

steelnounUS /stiːl/

an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

treadverbUS /tred/

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

usuallyadverbUS /ˈjuːʒəwəli/

under normal conditions

From this reading Encores are usually anticlimaxes.

visionsnounUS /ˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “vision” — a vivid mental image

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With an Introduction by Bishop George F. Pierce.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

WordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading A Word.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading The bearded men in rude attire, With nerves of steel and hearts of fire, The women few but fair and sweet, Like shadowy visions dim and fleet, Again I see, again I hear, As down the past I dimly peer, And muse o'er buried joy and pain, And tread the hills of youth again.

Chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series by O. P. (Oscar Penn) Fitzgerald 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.

What does chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series contain?

Chapter 1 holds 407 sentences of California Sketches, New Series, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series by O. P. (Oscar Penn) Fitzgerald 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of California Sketches, New Series?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading California Sketches, New Series

Common questions about reading California Sketches, New Series by O. P. (Oscar Penn) Fitzgerald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of California Sketches, New Series?

Yes. All 3254 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12564 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of California Sketches, New Series is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12564, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does California Sketches, New Series take to read?

About 271 minutes of reading across 651 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read California Sketches, New Series section by section

How to work through California Sketches, New Series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of California Sketches, New Series to begin.

  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in California Sketches, New Series

Words and structures a reader meets early in California Sketches, New Series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Series
A word that appears in the opening chapter of California Sketches, New Series; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Introduction
A word that appears in the opening chapter of California Sketches, New Series; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bishop
A word that appears in the opening chapter of California Sketches, New Series; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of California Sketches, New Series; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.