Chapter 1 of The Border Legion is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Border Legion is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range. “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said. “He meant it. He's going straight for the border... Oh, why did I taunt him!”
Chapter 1 of The Border Legion is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 line that indicates a boundary
From this reading “He's going straight for the border...”
any of numerous trees of the family Cupressaceae that resemble cedars
From this reading “Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.”
the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading “Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.”
characterized by a feeling of irresponsibility
From this reading ““Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.”
-ing form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading “Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.”
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading “Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.”
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading “Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.”
aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
From this reading “Oh, why did I taunt him!””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading He's going straight for the border...
any of numerous trees of the family Cupressaceae that resemble cedars
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
characterized by a feeling of irresponsibility
From this reading “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He's going straight for the border...
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the act of departing
From this reading He's going straight for the border...
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He meant it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's going straight for the border...
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “He meant it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
-ing form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “He meant it.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
successive (without a break)
From this reading He's going straight for the border...
aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jim wasn't fooling me,” she said.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Oh, why did I taunt him!”
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Joan Randle reined in her horse on the crest of the cedar ridge, and with remorse and dread beginning to knock at her heart she gazed before her at the wild and looming mountain range.
Chapter 1 of The Border Legion by Zane Grey holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of The Border Legion, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Border Legion by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 The Border Legion by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8730 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4552, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Border Legion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Border Legion 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 The Border Legion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
