Chapter 3 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side. “How did you do it?” she said eagerly. “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely. “With a what?” “A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.”
Chapter 3 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““How did you do it?” she said eagerly.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.”
king of Sparta and hero of the battle of Thermopylae where he was killed by the Persians (died in 480 BC)
From this reading “She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading “She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.”
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading ““With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.”
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading ““A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.””
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.”
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading ““A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.””
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 “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
a youthful male person
From this reading “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.”
king of Sparta and hero of the battle of Thermopylae where he was killed by the Persians (died in 480 BC)
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.”
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading “A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
only a very short time before
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading “A rattlesnake--pizen snake, you know.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “With a what?”
at the time that
From this reading She could scarcely realize her narrow escape when Leonidas stood by her side.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “With a rattler!” said the boy gravely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How did you do it?” she said eagerly.
Chapter 3 of Openings in the Old Trail by Bret Harte holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 3 holds 168 sentences of Openings in the Old Trail, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Openings in the Old Trail by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 3 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 Openings in the Old Trail by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2535 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2535, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Openings in the Old Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Openings in the Old Trail 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 Openings in the Old Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
