Chapter 17 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation. "I used to do it for my father. Not that I haven't tried." The confession was nullified by a little sigh. "But it always makes me sick.
Chapter 17 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “The confession was nullified by a little sigh.”
adroitness in using the hands
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
deprived of legal force
From this reading “The confession was nullified by a little sigh.”
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading “Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "But it always makes me sick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But it always makes me sick.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
adroitness in using the hands
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not that I haven't tried."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "But it always makes me sick.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But it always makes me sick.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that I haven't tried."
deprived of legal force
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "But it always makes me sick.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Not that I haven't tried."
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "I used to do it for my father.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The confession was nullified by a little sigh.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Fishing his papers and sack out of his shirt pocket, she rolled him a cigarette with dexterity that demanded explanation.
Chapter 17 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 holds 396 sentences of Over the Border: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 17 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 Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40600 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40600, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1602 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Over the Border: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Over the Border: A Novel 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 Over the Border: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
