Chapter 1 of Strange Stories of the Great River is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Strange Stories of the Great River is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters. It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world. In early days this Great River was almost unknown. A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it. Curious tales were told about it.
Chapter 1 of Strange Stories of the Great River is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading “THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.”
emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it
From this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
past form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading “A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.”
plural of “skiff” — any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
From this reading “A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.”
plural of “stream” — a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
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.
an early period of development
In this reading “In early days this Great River was almost unknown.”
In this reading “In early days this Great River was almost unknown.”
In this reading “It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.”
In this reading “In early days this Great River was almost unknown.”
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 THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Curious tales were told about it.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Curious tales were told about it.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
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 THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
past form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
plural of “skiff” — any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
plural of “stream” — a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Curious tales were told about it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Curious tales were told about it.
not known
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A few savages had paddled their skiffs upon it.
precisely as stated
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In early days this Great River was almost unknown.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Curious tales were told about it.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading THERE is a river so long and wide that it is the pride of our continent; a very Father of Waters.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It draws many other streams into its basin and forms the largest drainage system in the world.
Chapter 1 of Strange Stories of the Great River by Abbie Johnston Grosvenor holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of Strange Stories of the Great River, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Strange Stories of the Great River by Abbie Johnston Grosvenor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Strange Stories of the Great River by Abbie Johnston Grosvenor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2597 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 520 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strange Stories of the Great River section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Strange Stories of the Great River 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 Strange Stories of the Great River, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
