Chapter 1 of Green Valley is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Green Valley is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Traveling men have a poor opinion of it. Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it. Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it. Real estate men can not get rich in it. And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
Chapter 1 of Green Valley is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.”
look down on with disdain
From this reading “Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.”
the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings
From this reading “Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.”
lacking humor
From this reading “And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.”
plural of “matron” — a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
From this reading “Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.”
plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.”
by or with respect to society
From this reading “Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.”
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading “Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
look down on with disdain
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
lacking humor
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
plural of “matron” — a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
the force of workers available
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
possessing material wealth
From this reading Real estate men can not get rich in it.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
by or with respect to society
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Socially ambitious matrons move out of it, or, if that is not possible, despise it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ministers of the gospel have been known to despair of it.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading Traveling men have a poor opinion of it.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading And humorless folk sometimes have a hard, sad time of it in Green Valley.
Chapter 1 of Green Valley by Katharine Yirsa Reynolds holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 155 sentences of Green Valley, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Green Valley by Katharine Yirsa Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Green Valley by Katharine Yirsa Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18801 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18801, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 901 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Green Valley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Green Valley 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 Green Valley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
