Chapter 8 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don't know. I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.” “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?” “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?” “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
Chapter 8 of Openings in the Old Trail is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading ““No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.”
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading ““No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?””
inflected form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading ““And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?””
the relation between propositions that cannot both be true at the same time
From this reading “I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.””
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.””
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading ““And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?””
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.””
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 “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don't know.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
inflected form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
the relation between propositions that cannot both be true at the same time
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Don't know.
not any; not one
From this reading “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “No, no!” returned Byers hastily, in crimson confusion.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
express in words
From this reading “She didn't hove no plates,” said Abner gravely; “did she say she did?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon that's jest whar the incompatibility kem in.”
at the time that
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And when she hove plates at your head, wot did you do?”
Chapter 8 of Openings in the Old Trail by Bret Harte holds 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 8 holds 173 sentences of Openings in the Old Trail, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Openings in the Old Trail by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 8 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.
