Chapter 1 of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His father was dying. John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street. Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside. That would be the end. A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
Chapter 1 of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.”
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading “John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.”
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading “John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.”
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading “John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.”
past form of “pound” — hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading “A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.”
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading “A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.”
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 A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading His father was dying.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading That would be the end.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading His father was dying.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His father was dying.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
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 Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
past form of “pound” — hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
in the near future
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading A sickening feeling of terror gripped him and his heart pounded in his chest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That would be the end.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading John Gallant paced the narrow sun-baked lawn between the porch of his home and the street.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His father was dying.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Soon, he knew, the door would open and he would be called inside.
Chapter 1 of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles by James Hugh Richardson holds 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 253 sentences of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles by James Hugh Richardson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles by James Hugh Richardson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5585 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22194 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22194, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles 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 Spring Street A Story of Los Angeles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
