Chapter 1 of Desert Gold is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Desert Gold is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
While Cameron watched, the basket filled. Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest. Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held. The thing, however, was dead in his hands. "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
Chapter 1 of Desert Gold is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 27/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading “While Cameron watched, the basket filled.”
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.”
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “"I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.”
plural of “incident” — a single distinct event
From this reading “Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.”
cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading “Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.”
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.”
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 “Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.”
In this reading “Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The thing, however, was dead in his hands.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The thing, however, was dead in his hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading The thing, however, was dead in his hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The thing, however, was dead in his hands.
plural of “incident” — a single distinct event
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
a special situation
From this reading The thing, however, was dead in his hands.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Curiously he picked up the peach branch and held it as he had seen it held.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of all the strange incidents of his desert career this was the strangest.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
during the time that
From this reading While Cameron watched, the basket filled.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I see you haven't got it," remarked his comrade.
Chapter 1 of Desert Gold by Zane Grey holds 216 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 1 holds 216 sentences of Desert Gold, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Desert Gold by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 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 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 Desert Gold by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8255 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #502 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #502, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1651 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Desert Gold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Desert Gold 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 Gold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
