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Tales of Aztlan
Tales of Aztlan

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tales of Aztlan
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.
The trip was not lacking in interesting details.
The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.
On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.
An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tales of Aztlan

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.
/ˈæftər ˈsevrəl deɪz aɪ ərˈaɪvd æt ðə end ʌv maɪ ˈreɪlweɪ ˈdʒɜːrni ˈdʒʌŋkʃən ˈsɪti wɪˈθaʊt dɪˈleɪ ɔːr ˈæksədənt/
Line 2
The trip was not lacking in interesting details.
/ðə trɪp wɑːz nɑːt ˈlækɪŋ ɪn ˈɪntrəstɪŋ dɪˈteɪlz/
Line 3
The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.
/ðə məˈnɑːtəni ʌv ðə ˈnevər ˈendɪŋ ˈpreri wɑːz æt taɪmz enˈlaɪvənd baɪ hɜːrdz ʌv ˈbʌfəloʊ ənd ˈæntəloʊp/
Line 4
On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.
/ɑːn wʌn əˈkeɪʒən ðeɪ dɪˈleɪd ˈaʊər treɪn fɔːr ˈsevrəl ˈaʊərz/
Line 5
An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.
/æn ɪˈnɔːrməs hɜːrd ʌv ˈθaʊzəndz əˈpɑːn ˈθaʊzəndz ʌv ˈbʌfəloʊ krɔːst ðə ˈreɪlroʊd træk ɪn frʌnt ʌv ˈaʊər treɪn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

antelope noun US /ˈæntəloʊp/

graceful Old World ruminant with long legs and horns directed upward and backward; includes gazelles; springboks; impalas; addax; gerenuks; blackbucks; dik-diks

From this reading “The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.”

delayed adjective US /dɪˈleɪd/

not as far along as normal in development

From this reading “On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.”

enlivened adjective US /enˈlaɪvənd/

made sprightly or cheerful

From this reading “The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.”

herds noun US /hɜːrdz/

plural of “herd” — a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans

From this reading “The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.”

Junction noun US /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading “After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.”

lacking adjective US /ˈlækɪŋ/

inadequate in amount or degree

From this reading “The trip was not lacking in interesting details.”

monotony noun US /məˈnɑːtəni/

the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety

From this reading “The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.”

prairie noun US /ˈpreri/

a treeless grassy plain

From this reading “The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

accidentnounUS /ˈæksədənt/

an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

antelopenounUS /ˈæntəloʊp/

graceful Old World ruminant with long legs and horns directed upward and backward; includes gazelles; springboks; impalas; addax; gerenuks; blackbucks; dik-diks

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

buffalonounUS /ˈbʌfəloʊ/

large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

CitynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

crossedadjectiveUS /krɔːst/

placed crosswise

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

delayverbUS /dɪˈleɪ/

cause to be slowed down or delayed

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

delayedadjectiveUS /dɪˈleɪd/

not as far along as normal in development

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

detailsnounUS /dɪˈteɪlz/

true confidential information

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

endingnounUS /ˈendɪŋ/

the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

enlivenedadjectiveUS /enˈlaɪvənd/

made sprightly or cheerful

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

enormousadjectiveUS /ɪˈnɔːrməs/

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

herdnounUS /hɜːrd/

a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

herdsnounUS /hɜːrdz/

plural of “herd” — a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

hoursnounUS /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

JunctionnounUS /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

lackingadjectiveUS /ˈlækɪŋ/

inadequate in amount or degree

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

monotonynounUS /məˈnɑːtəni/

the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

occasionnounUS /əˈkeɪʒən/

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

prairienounUS /ˈpreri/

a treeless grassy plain

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

railroadnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊd/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

thousandsnounUS /ˈθaʊzəndz/

plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading The monotony of the never ending prairie was at times enlivened by herds of buffalo and antelope.

tracknounUS /træk/

a line or route along which something travels or moves

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading On one occasion they delayed our train for several hours.

tripnounUS /trɪp/

a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading An enormous herd of thousands upon thousands of buffalo crossed the railroad track in front of our train.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The trip was not lacking in interesting details.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading After several days I arrived at the end of my railway journey, Junction City, without delay or accident.

Chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan by George Hartmann holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan contain?

Chapter 1 holds 189 sentences of Tales of Aztlan, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan by George Hartmann exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Tales of Aztlan?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Tales of Aztlan

Common questions about reading Tales of Aztlan by George Hartmann on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tales of Aztlan?

Yes. All 1328 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tales of Aztlan is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4294, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tales of Aztlan take to read?

About 110 minutes of reading across 266 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tales of Aztlan section by section

How to work through Tales of Aztlan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of Tales of Aztlan to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tales of Aztlan

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tales of Aztlan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Several
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of Aztlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arrived
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of Aztlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Railway
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of Aztlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of Aztlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.