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Crooked Trails and Straight
Crooked Trails and Straight

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Crooked Trails and Straight
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.
Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.
He stopped to listen.
Presently there came a faint far call for help.
Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.
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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.

Crooked Trails and Straight

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.
/ə ber træp ðə ˈwaɪndɪŋ treɪl led ʌp tuː ðə skrʌb paɪnz ənd frʌm ðer nɔːrθ ˈɪntuː ðə hɪlz/
Line 2
Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.
/ˈkɜːrli hæd nɑːt ˈtrævəld fɑːr wen hiː hɜːrd ðə saʊnd ʌv ə ɡʌn ˈfaɪərd θriː taɪmz ɪn kwɪk səkˈseʃən/
Line 3
He stopped to listen.
/hiː stɑːpt tuː ˈlɪsən/
Line 4
Presently there came a faint far call for help.
/ˈprezəntli ðer keɪm ə feɪnt fɑːr kɔːl fɔːr help/
Line 5
Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

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.

Curly adjective US /ˈkɜːrli/

(of hair) having curls or waves

From this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

pines noun US /paɪnz/

plural of “pine” — a coniferous tree

From this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

scrub verb US /skrʌb/

clean with hard rubbing

From this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

squatting noun US /ˈskwɑːtɪŋ/

exercising by repeatedly assuming a crouching position with the knees bent; strengthens the leg muscles

From this reading “Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.”

succession noun US /səkˈseʃən/

a following of one thing after another in time

From this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

trap noun US /træp/

a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned

From this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

traveled adjective US /ˈtrævəld/

traveled over or through; sometimes used as a combining term

From this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

winding adjective US /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/

marked by repeated turns and bends

From this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

quick succession adjective + noun

In this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

winding trail adjective + noun

In this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

three times noun + noun

by a factor of three

In this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

trail led noun + noun

In this reading “A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.”

on the ground preposition + article + noun counted as “on … ground”

In this reading “Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.”

fired three adjective + noun

In this reading “Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.”

call for verb + particle

express the need or desire for

In this reading “Presently there came a faint far call for help.”

saw a man verb + article + noun counted as “saw … man”

In this reading “Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.”

All words in this reading · 51

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 BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

BEARverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

cantered

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

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

CurlyadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrli/

(of hair) having curls or waves

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/

having lost your job

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

gunnounUS /ɡʌn/

a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

hillnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

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

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

lednounUS /led/

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

From this reading He stopped to listen.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

northnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

pinesnounUS /paɪnz/

plural of “pine” — a coniferous tree

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

PresentlyadverbUS /ˈprezəntli/

in the near future

From this reading Presently there came a faint far call for help.

quickadjectiveUS /kwɪk/

accomplished rapidly and without delay

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

scrubverbUS /skrʌb/

clean with hard rubbing

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

squattingnounUS /ˈskwɑːtɪŋ/

exercising by repeatedly assuming a crouching position with the knees bent; strengthens the leg muscles

From this reading Curly cantered around the shoulder of the hill and saw a man squatting on the ground.

stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading He stopped to listen.

successionnounUS /səkˈseʃən/

a following of one thing after another in time

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

trailnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

TRAPnounUS /træp/

a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

traveledadjectiveUS /ˈtrævəld/

traveled over or through; sometimes used as a combining term

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Curly had not traveled far when he heard the sound of a gun fired three times in quick succession.

windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/

marked by repeated turns and bends

From this reading A BEAR TRAP The winding trail led up to the scrub pines and from there north into the hills.

Chapter 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight by William MacLeod Raine holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight contain?

Chapter 6 holds 212 sentences of Crooked Trails and Straight, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 6 of Crooked Trails and Straight?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 Crooked Trails and Straight

Common questions about reading Crooked Trails and Straight by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Crooked Trails and Straight?

Yes. All 6287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26911 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Crooked Trails and Straight is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26911, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Crooked Trails and Straight take to read?

About 523 minutes of reading across 1258 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Crooked Trails and Straight section by section

How to work through Crooked Trails and Straight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of Crooked Trails and Straight to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Crooked Trails and Straight

Words and structures a reader meets early in Crooked Trails and Straight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Crooked Trails and Straight; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Brand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Crooked Trails and Straight; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blotters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Crooked Trails and Straight; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bucky
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Crooked Trails and Straight; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.