Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Prairie Flowers
Prairie Flowers

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Prairie Flowers
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.
A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.
His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.
Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.
At all other times he was very sober.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Prairie Flowers

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.
Line 2
A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.
Line 3
His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.
Line 4
Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.
/twaɪs iːtʃ jɪr ɑːn ðə ˈtwentiəθ ʌv dʒuːn ənd ðə θɜːrd ʌv dɪˈsembər hiː lɑːkt hɪmˈself ɪn hɪz ruːm ənd dræŋk hɪmˈself ˈveri drʌŋk/
Line 5
At all other times he was very sober.
/æt ɔːl ˈʌðər taɪmz hiː wɑːz ˈveri ˈsoʊbər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

December noun US /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading “Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
framed adjective US /freɪmd/

provided with a frame

From this reading “A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
giant noun US /ˈdʒaɪənt/

any creature of exceptional size

From this reading “A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
June noun US /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

From this reading “Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ranch noun US /ræntʃ/

farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)

From this reading “AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silences noun US /ˈsaɪlənsɪz/

plural of “silence” — the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

From this reading “AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sober adjective US /ˈsoʊbər/

not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading “At all other times he was very sober.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twentieth noun US /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading “Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 55

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
black-bearded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Pending verification
Colin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Pending verification
commandedverbUS /kəˈmændɪd/

past form of “command” — be in command of

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
concernedadjectiveUS /kənˈsɜːrnd/

feeling or showing worry or solicitude

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DecembernounUS /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drankverbUS /dræŋk/

inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drunkadjectiveUS /drʌŋk/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
framedadjectiveUS /freɪmd/

provided with a frame

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendshipnounUS /ˈfrendʃɪp/

the state of being friends (or friendly)

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
giantnounUS /ˈdʒaɪənt/

any creature of exceptional size

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JunenounUS /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knewverbUS /nuː/

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 A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lockedverbUS /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
McWhorter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Pending verification
MCWHORTER'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Pending verification
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading At all other times he was very sober.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

Pending verification
RANCHnounUS /ræntʃ/

farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
respectnounUS /rɪˈspekt/

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sheepnounUS /ʃiːp/

woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silencesnounUS /ˈsaɪlənsɪz/

plural of “silence” — the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soberadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbər/

not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading At all other times he was very sober.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading At all other times he was very sober.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twentiethnounUS /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TwiceadverbUS /twaɪs/

two times

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading AT MCWHORTER'S RANCH Colin McWhorter was a man of long silences.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading A big framed, black-bearded giant of a man, he commanded the respect of all who knew him, and the friendship of few.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading His ranch, his sheep, his daughter were things that concerned him--the rest of the world was for others.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Twice each year, on the twentieth of June and the third of December, he locked himself in his room and drank himself very drunk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers contain?

Chapter 19 holds 178 sentences of Prairie Flowers, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

How do I study chapter 19 of Prairie Flowers?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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.

Can chapter 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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.

Questions about reading Prairie Flowers

Common questions about reading Prairie Flowers by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Prairie Flowers?

Yes. All 4666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22180 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Prairie Flowers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #22180, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Prairie Flowers take to read?

About 388 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Prairie Flowers section by section

How to work through Prairie Flowers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 28 chapters of Prairie Flowers to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Prairie Flowers

Words and structures a reader meets early in Prairie Flowers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Texan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prairie Flowers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Centre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prairie Flowers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Glade
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prairie Flowers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Formed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prairie Flowers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.