Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha. The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on. I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes. All my subsequent reflections were confused. I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 24/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 116–120
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.
possessive form of “bear” — massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
From this reading “I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “All my subsequent reflections were confused.”
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.”
past form of “judge” — determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.”
by reasonable assumption
From this reading “The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.”
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “All my subsequent reflections were confused.”
following in time or order
From this reading “All my subsequent reflections were confused.”
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading “I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.”
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 The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
(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 All my subsequent reflections were confused.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
have
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
possessive form of “bear” — massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading All my subsequent reflections were confused.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
past form of “judge” — determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The bear was coming on; he had, in fact, come on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
by reasonable assumption
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading All my subsequent reflections were confused.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
following in time or order
From this reading All my subsequent reflections were confused.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The well-born one was eaten by a beast, and presumably by a bear,--an animal that has a bad reputation since the days of Elisha.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All my subsequent reflections were confused.
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive.
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of In the Wilderness, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Wilderness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of In the Wilderness 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 In the Wilderness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
