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.
In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home. I had killed a bear! Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air. There was a chorus of voices: “Where are your blackberries?”
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 28/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 136–140
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.
plural of “blackberry” — large sweet black or very dark purple edible aggregate fruit of any of various bushes of the genus Rubus
From this reading ““Where are your blackberries?””
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.”
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.”
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading “There was a chorus of voices:”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.”
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading “Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.”
a careless leisurely gait
From this reading “Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.”
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading “Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.”
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 I had killed a bear!
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Where are your blackberries?”
have
From this reading I had killed a bear!
plural of “blackberry” — large sweet black or very dark purple edible aggregate fruit of any of various bushes of the genus Rubus
From this reading “Where are your blackberries?”
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading There was a chorus of voices:
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had killed a bear!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I had killed a bear!
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a chorus of voices:
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
a careless leisurely gait
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a chorus of voices:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was a chorus of voices:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a chorus of voices:
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where are your blackberries?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Notwithstanding my excitement, I managed to saunter into the house with an unconcerned air.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Where are your blackberries?”
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.
