Chapter 18 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"BLOOD!" Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength. His mouth had been wide open with wonder. He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified. Blood! blood!
Chapter 18 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.”
past form of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
with resolute determination
From this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
From this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading “He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.”
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 “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
be contingent on
In this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
In this reading “Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
(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 Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading "BLOOD!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
past form of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
with resolute determination
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading He had not understood at all from the first, but now he was more than bewildered--he was terrified.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Limber Tim all this time had held his back against the wall as firmly as if it was about to fall on all their heads, and their lives depended on his strength.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading His mouth had been wide open with wonder.
Chapter 18 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 holds 86 sentences of First Fam'lies of the Sierras, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 18 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.
