Chapter 1 of Overland Red is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Overland Red is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north. The townspeople paid scant attention to him. He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills. He bought supplies and paid grudgingly. No one knew his name.
Chapter 1 of Overland Red is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
in a grudging manner
From this reading “He bought supplies and paid grudgingly.”
past form of “journey” — undertake a journey or trip
From this reading “For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.”
a member of the North American Indian people formerly living in the Colorado river valley in Arizona and Nevada and California
From this reading “For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.”
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading “He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.”
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.”
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading “The townspeople paid scant attention to him.”
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading “He bought supplies and paid grudgingly.”
the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
From this reading “The townspeople paid scant attention to him.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading The townspeople paid scant attention to him.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading He bought supplies and paid grudgingly.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
set up or found
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
coins made of gold
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
in a grudging manner
From this reading He bought supplies and paid grudgingly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The townspeople paid scant attention to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading No one knew his name.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
past form of “journey” — undertake a journey or trip
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading No one knew his name.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
a member of the North American Indian people formerly living in the Colorado river valley in Arizona and Nevada and California
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading No one knew his name.
not any; not one
From this reading No one knew his name.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one knew his name.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading The townspeople paid scant attention to him.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading The townspeople paid scant attention to him.
and nothing more
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading He bought supplies and paid grudgingly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
From this reading The townspeople paid scant attention to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was simply another "desert rat" obsessed with the idea that gold was to be found in those northern hills.
a late time of life
From this reading For five years he had journeyed back and forth between the little desert station on the Mojave and the range to the north.
Chapter 1 of Overland Red by Henry Herbert Knibbs holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 99 sentences of Overland Red, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Overland Red by Henry Herbert Knibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Overland Red by Henry Herbert Knibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6891 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19763 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19763, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 574 minutes of reading across 1379 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Overland Red section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Overland Red 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 Overland Red, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
