Chapter 1 of Silver Lake is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Silver Lake is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. THE HUNTERS. It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast. Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
Chapter 1 of Silver Lake is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 remote and undeveloped area
From this reading “It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.”
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.”
wound by piercing with a sharp or penetrating object or instrument
From this reading “It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.”
someone who hunts game
From this reading “It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.”
plural of “hunter” — someone who hunts game
From this reading “THE HUNTERS.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.”
possessive form of “robin” — small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.”
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 It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
in the past
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
in addition
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
a remote and undeveloped area
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
fearless and daring
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
a room used for dining
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
wound by piercing with a sharp or penetrating object or instrument
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
someone who hunts game
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
plural of “hunter” — someone who hunts game
From this reading THE HUNTERS.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
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 It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
possessive form of “robin” — small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Robin's parlour was also his dining-room, and his drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and his kitchen.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading SILVER LAKE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HUNTERS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It was on a cold winter morning long ago, that Robin Gore, a bold hunter of the backwoods of America, entered his parlour and sat him down to breakfast.
Chapter 1 of Silver Lake by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of Silver Lake, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Silver Lake by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Silver Lake by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21703 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21703, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Silver Lake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Silver Lake 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 Silver Lake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
