Chapter 1 of Roughing It is here in full — 619 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Roughing It is here in full — 619 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
California—At Home Again—Great Changes. Moral. APPENDIX. A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. THE MINERS’ DREAM 2.
Chapter 1 of Roughing It is here in full — 619 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/123 · 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.
supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book
From this reading “APPENDIX.”
an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation
From this reading “A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.”
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “California—At Home Again—Great Changes.”
brought to completion
From this reading “A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.”
kill a large number of people indiscriminately
From this reading “A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.”
plural of “miner” — laborer who works in a mine
From this reading “THE MINERS’ DREAM 2.”
the ancient prophet whose writings were revealed to Joseph Smith who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
From this reading “A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.”
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 A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MINERS’ DREAM 2.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
anew
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book
From this reading APPENDIX.
an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
of short duration or distance
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
brought to completion
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading THE MINERS’ DREAM 2.
provoking horror
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading California—At Home Again—Great Changes.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
kill a large number of people indiscriminately
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
plural of “miner” — laborer who works in a mine
From this reading THE MINERS’ DREAM 2.
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading Moral.
the ancient prophet whose writings were revealed to Joseph Smith who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A.—Brief Sketch of Mormon History B.—The Mountain Meadows Massacre C.—Concerning a Frightful Assassination that was never Consummated LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.
Chapter 1 of Roughing It by Mark Twain holds 619 sentences, grouped into 124 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 1 holds 619 sentences of Roughing It, unabridged, divided into 124 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Roughing It by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 619 sentences, grouped into 124 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 124 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 124 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 Roughing It by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3177, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Roughing It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Roughing It 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 Roughing It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
