Chapter 1 of Cowboy Dave is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cowboy Dave is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson. The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass. "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said. "Either or both?" repeated Dave. "How can that be?"
Chapter 1 of Cowboy Dave is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading “Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.”
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.”
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.”
a small quantity of anything
From this reading “The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.”
having a nose (either literal or metaphoric) especially of a specified kind
From this reading “The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.”
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading “Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "How can that be?"
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
in a serious manner
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
one or the other of two
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How can that be?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
a small quantity of anything
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
having a nose (either literal or metaphoric) especially of a specified kind
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Either or both?" repeated Dave.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It might be either--or both," Pete finally said.
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "How can that be?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two cow-ponies, evidently glad of the little rest, nosed about the sun-baked earth for some choice morsel of grass.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Pocus Pete shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed long and earnestly in the direction indicated by Dave Carson.
Chapter 1 of Cowboy Dave by Frank V. Webster holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 149 sentences of Cowboy Dave, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cowboy Dave by Frank V. Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Cowboy Dave by Frank V. Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6165 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6165, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 251 minutes of reading across 605 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cowboy Dave section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Cowboy Dave 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 Cowboy Dave, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
