Chapter 1 of "The Debatable Land": A Novel is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of "The Debatable Land": A Novel is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"EASTOVER COURT HOUSE." By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN. "THE SENTIMENTALISTS." By Arthur Stanwood Pier. "MARTIN BROOK."
Chapter 1 of "The Debatable Land": A Novel is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading “By Arthur Stanwood Pier.”
an American pioneer and guide and explorer (1734-1820)
From this reading “By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.”
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading “"MARTIN BROOK."”
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading “By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.”
United States architect who designed the first important skyscraper with a skeleton (1846-1912)
From this reading “By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.”
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading “"MARTIN BROOK."”
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading “By Arthur Stanwood Pier.”
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.
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 By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading By Arthur Stanwood Pier.
an American pioneer and guide and explorer (1734-1820)
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading "MARTIN BROOK."
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
United States architect who designed the first important skyscraper with a skeleton (1846-1912)
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading "EASTOVER COURT HOUSE."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "EASTOVER COURT HOUSE."
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "EASTOVER COURT HOUSE."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By HENRY BURNHAM BOONE and KENNETH BROWN.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading "MARTIN BROOK."
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading By Arthur Stanwood Pier.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THE SENTIMENTALISTS."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By Arthur Stanwood Pier.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "THE SENTIMENTALISTS."
Chapter 1 of "The Debatable Land": A Novel by Arthur Colton holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 98 sentences of "The Debatable Land": A Novel, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of "The Debatable Land": A Novel by Arthur Colton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Debatable Land": A Novel by Arthur Colton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41963 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41963, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 354 minutes of reading across 851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "The Debatable Land": A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of "The Debatable Land": A Novel 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 Debatable Land": A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
