Chapter 1 of Secrets of the Andes is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Secrets of the Andes is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look! The bridge is out! Stop the car--quick!" Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger. Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
Chapter 1 of Secrets of the Andes is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
a city in northeastern Ohio; the heart of the United States rubber industry
From this reading “The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!”
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
in a breathless manner
From this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!”
a sustained bass note
From this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!”
subject to change or variation
From this reading “Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.”
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.
In this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
In this reading “Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.”
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.
the performance of a part or role in a drama
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
at or in the front
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
a city in northeastern Ohio; the heart of the United States rubber industry
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
in a breathless manner
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The bridge is out!
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Stop the car--quick!"
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The bridge is out!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The bridge is out!
a sustained bass note
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Stop the car--quick!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Stop the car--quick!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
subject to change or variation
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Bob Holton's voice was unsteady as he gazed ahead at the place of danger.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Acting on the instant, Joe Lewis pushed the brake pedal to the floor and waited breathlessly, his mind filled with thoughts of tragedy.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading The Saalfield Publishing Company Akron, Ohio New York "Look!
Chapter 1 of Secrets of the Andes by James H. Foster holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 127 sentences of Secrets of the Andes, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Secrets of the Andes by James H. Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Secrets of the Andes by James H. Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43268 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43268, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 742 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Secrets of the Andes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Secrets of the Andes 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 Secrets of the Andes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
