Chapter 14 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 284 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 284 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground. Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes. He lay on his back. Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke. A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
Chapter 14 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 284 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading “Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.”
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading “It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.”
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading “A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.”
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading “It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.”
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading “A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside 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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He lay on his back.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
next to; at the side of
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay on his back.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He lay on his back.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
in the near future
From this reading Presently the darkness cleared from his mind and he opened his eyes.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
cut with a saw
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading A huge pile of railroad ties loomed up beside him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Looking up, he saw stars through the thin, broken clouds of smoke.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading It seemed that Kurt did not altogether lose consciousness, for he had vague sensations of being dragged along the ground.
Chapter 14 of The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey holds 284 sentences, grouped into 57 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 14 holds 284 sentences of The Desert of Wheat, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 284 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 14 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 Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9875 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10201 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10201, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1975 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert of Wheat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Desert of Wheat 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 Desert of Wheat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
