Chapter 31 of Desert Conquest is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Desert Conquest is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale. "Here's old Simon drops in on us. Somebody else might. I don't feel right about it. I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Chapter 31 of Desert Conquest is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
plural of “basin” — a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading “I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."”
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading “"Here's old Simon drops in on us.”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “"I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.”
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading “"Here's old Simon drops in on us.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Somebody else might.”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “"I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.”
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 "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I don't feel right about it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
plural of “basin” — a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't feel right about it.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somebody else might.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I don't feel right about it.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don't feel right about it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
precisely, exactly
From this reading I don't feel right about it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody else might.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Here's old Simon drops in on us.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "I been thinkin' we might as well move on a ways," said McHale.
in or at the place that
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I want to git some place, like up in one o' them basins, where strangers won't be passin' by every day."
Chapter 31 of Desert Conquest by A. M. (Arthur Murray) Chisholm holds 409 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.
Chapter 31 holds 409 sentences of Desert Conquest, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Desert Conquest by A. M. (Arthur Murray) Chisholm exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 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 Desert Conquest by A. M. (Arthur Murray) Chisholm on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8923 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1785 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Desert Conquest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Desert Conquest 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 Desert Conquest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
