Chapter 1 of Still Jim is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Still Jim is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting. I wonder for what!" MUSINGS OF THE ELEPHANT. Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit. The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
Chapter 1 of Still Jim is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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 telegram sent abroad
From this reading “The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.”
too numerous to be counted
From this reading “"An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.”
past form of “dangle” — hang freely
From this reading “Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.”
a framework erected over an oil well to allow drill tubes to be raised and lowered
From this reading “Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.”
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading “"An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.”
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “"An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.”
plural of “musing” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “MUSINGS OF THE ELEPHANT.”
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading “Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.”
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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
for the reason that
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
too numerous to be counted
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
past form of “dangle” — hang freely
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
a framework erected over an oil well to allow drill tubes to be raised and lowered
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
staying power
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
plural of “musing” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading MUSINGS OF THE ELEPHANT.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
on one occasion
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
above and across; more than
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Little Jim sat at the quarry edge and dangled his legs over the derrick pit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The derrick was out of commission because once more the lift cable had parted.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "An Elephant of Rock, I have lain here in the desert for countless ages, watching, waiting.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I wonder for what!"
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder for what!"
Chapter 1 of Still Jim by Honoré Morrow holds 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 315 sentences of Still Jim, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Still Jim by Honoré Morrow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Still Jim by Honoré Morrow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8392 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1679 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Still Jim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Still Jim 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 Still Jim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
