Chapter 2 of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW. FIRST CAMP. FORDING THE PLATTE. We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857. Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
Chapter 2 of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.”
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.”
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading “Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.”
the act of forsaking
From this reading “FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.”
a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
From this reading “We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.”
undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena
From this reading “Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.”
a river in Nebraska that flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
From this reading “FORDING THE PLATTE.”
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading “FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.”
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.
In this reading “Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.”
an area between Israel and Jordan on the west bank of the Jordan river; populated largely by Palestinians
In this reading “We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.”
In this reading “FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading FIRST CAMP.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading FIRST CAMP.
the act of crossing a stream or river by wading or in a car or on a horse
From this reading FORDING THE PLATTE.
the act of forsaking
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
a river in Nebraska that flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
From this reading FORDING THE PLATTE.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FORSAKING THE OLD IN QUEST OF THE NEW.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our objective point was Sonoma County, California.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading We left the west bank of the Missouri River on May 17, 1857.
Chapter 2 of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 by Wm. Audley (William Audley), -1921 Maxwell holds 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 2 holds 61 sentences of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 by Wm. Audley (William Audley), -1921 Maxwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 2 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 Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 by Wm. Audley (William Audley), -1921 Maxwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1047 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26858 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26858, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 87 minutes of reading across 210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 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 Crossing the Plains, Days of '57, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
