Chapter 1 of Fort Desolation is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Fort Desolation is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS. THE OUTSKIRTER. To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
Chapter 1 of Fort Desolation is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “CHAPTER ONE.”
suitable to your needs
From this reading “To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.”
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading “To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.”
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading “FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading “To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.”
a state of social isolation
From this reading “OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.”
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading “OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.”
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 FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
suitable to your needs
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE OUTSKIRTER.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading FORT DESOLATION, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a state of social isolation
From this reading OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial.
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading OR, SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS.
Chapter 1 of Fort Desolation by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 460 sentences of Fort Desolation, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Fort Desolation by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Fort Desolation by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 76 minutes of reading across 185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fort Desolation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Fort Desolation 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 Fort Desolation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
