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First Fam'lies of the Sierras
First Fam'lies of the Sierras

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Joaquin Miller • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for First Fam'lies of the Sierras
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!
Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.
These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.
Yet the Day of the week is always kept.
Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

First Fam'lies of the Sierras

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!
Line 2
Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.
Line 3
These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.
Line 4
Yet the Day of the week is always kept.
/jet ðə deɪ ʌv ðə wiːk ɪz ˈɔːlweɪz kept/
Line 5
Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.
/sɪks deɪz ðeɪ ˈleɪbər ɪn ðə maɪn ðə ˈsevənθ ðeɪ duː nɑːt rest bʌt ðeɪ æt liːst duː nɑːt maɪn/

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.

bleak adjective US /bliːk/

offering little or no hope

From this reading “Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blown adjective US /bloʊn/

being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor

From this reading “Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Forks noun US /fɔːrks/

plural of “fork” — cutlery used for serving and eating food

From this reading “Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
labor noun US /ˈleɪbər/

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading “Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
month noun US /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading “These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seventh adjective US /ˈsevənθ/

coming next after the sixth and just before the eighth in position

From this reading “Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
snowed verb US /snoʊd/

past form of “snow” — fall as snow

From this reading “These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wedding noun US /ˈwedɪŋ/

the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed

From this reading “Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

Six days noun + noun

In this reading “Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.”

3,005 times in 225,867 chapters
many days adjective + noun

In this reading “Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.”

9,280 times in 225,867 chapters
always kept adverb + adjective

In this reading “Yet the Day of the week is always kept.”

2,735 times in 225,867 chapters
in the mountains preposition + article + noun counted as “in … mountain”

In this reading “These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.”

7,568 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 66

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.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Yet the Day of the week is always kept.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bleakadjectiveUS /bliːk/

offering little or no hope

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blownadjectiveUS /bloʊn/

being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exactlyadverbUS /ɪɡˈzæktli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
forgetverbUS /fərˈɡet/

dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ForksnounUS /fɔːrks/

plural of “fork” — cutlery used for serving and eating food

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
half-a-year

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

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Pending verification
half-wild

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

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Pending verification
hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
how

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

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading Yet the Day of the week is always kept.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
labornounUS /ˈleɪbər/

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawnounUS /lɔː/

the collection of rules imposed by authority

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MATTERnounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mountainsnounUS /ˈmaʊntənz/

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NOWadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Yet the Day of the week is always kept.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seventhadjectiveUS /ˈsevənθ/

coming next after the sixth and just before the eighth in position

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
SixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
snowedverbUS /snoʊd/

past form of “snow” — fall as snow

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Six days they labor in the mine; the seventh, they do not rest, but they at least do not mine.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weddingnounUS /ˈwedɪŋ/

the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WHAT'S

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

From this reading WHAT'S THE MATTER NOW!

Pending verification
whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
winternounUS /ˈwɪntər/

the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox

From this reading Just exactly how many days or weeks or even months had blown over the Forks through the long bleak winter since the wedding no man knew.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading These men in the mountains, snowed up for half-a-year, where there is no business, where there is no law, no church, nothing but half-wild men hard at work--these men, I say, sometimes forget the day, the week, even the month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet the Day of the week is always kept.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras contain?

Chapter 15 holds 144 sentences of First Fam'lies of the Sierras, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 15 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 First Fam'lies of the Sierras

Common questions about reading First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of First Fam'lies of the Sierras?

Yes. All 2838 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33220 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33220, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does First Fam'lies of the Sierras take to read?

About 236 minutes of reading across 568 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read First Fam'lies of the Sierras section by section

How to work through First Fam'lies of the Sierras section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in First Fam'lies of the Sierras

Words and structures a reader meets early in First Fam'lies of the Sierras, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Fam'lies of the Sierras; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fam'lies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Fam'lies of the Sierras; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sierras
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Fam'lies of the Sierras; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Fam'lies of the Sierras; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.