Chapter 29 of Children of the Desert is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Children of the Desert is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished. She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going. She was regarding Harboro wanly. "You shouldn't have come back," she said. She had not moved.
Chapter 29 of Children of the Desert is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
past form of “achieve” — to gain with effort
From this reading “She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.”
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading “She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.”
-ing form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading “She was regarding Harboro wanly.”
United States writer of humorous stylized stories about Broadway and the New York underground (1884-1946)
From this reading “Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.”
lacking dignity
From this reading “She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.”
be restored
In this reading “"You shouldn't have come back," she said.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.”
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 She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
past form of “achieve” — to gain with effort
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
the act of departing
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was regarding Harboro wanly.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading She had not moved.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
-ing form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading She was regarding Harboro wanly.
United States writer of humorous stylized stories about Broadway and the New York underground (1884-1946)
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
lacking dignity
From this reading She did not realize that he had achieved a perfect middle ground between an undignified escape and a too deliberate going.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
having passed out of existence
From this reading Sylvia did not look at Runyon as he picked up his coat and hat and vanished.
in a weak or pale or languid manner
From this reading She was regarding Harboro wanly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was regarding Harboro wanly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You shouldn't have come back," she said.
Chapter 29 of Children of the Desert by Louis Dodge holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 29 holds 220 sentences of Children of the Desert, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Children of the Desert by Louis Dodge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 29 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 Children of the Desert by Louis Dodge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 714 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Children of the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Children of the Desert 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 Children of the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
