Chapter 1 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS. AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC. CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO. 1876. LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.
Chapter 1 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading “CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.”
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.”
a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian (1585-1638)
From this reading “CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.”
the shore of a lake
From this reading “LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.”
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading “LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.”
plural of “sierra” — a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline)
From this reading “FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.”
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.”
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.
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 1876.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian (1585-1638)
From this reading CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.
the shore of a lake
From this reading LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHICAGO: JANSEN, McCLURG & CO.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading LAKESIDE PUBLISHING & PRINTING CO.
transport commercially
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
plural of “sierra” — a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline)
From this reading FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "SONGS OF THE SIERRAS," "SONGS OF THE SUN-LANDS," "THE SHIP IN THE DESERT," ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FIRST FAM'LIES OF THE SIERRAS.
Chapter 1 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 93 sentences of First Fam'lies of the Sierras, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2838 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33220 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33220, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 236 minutes of reading across 568 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Fam'lies of the Sierras section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of First Fam'lies of the Sierras 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 First Fam'lies of the Sierras, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
