Chapter 24 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family. The father shook his head dubiously. "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment. Mrs. Anderson sighed. The young sisters were not given to worry.
Chapter 24 of The Desert of Wheat is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading “Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “"That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.”
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading “The father shook his head dubiously.”
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading “Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Mrs. Anderson sighed.”
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “The young sisters were not given to worry.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “The young sisters were not given to worry.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading The father shook his head dubiously.
a social unit living together
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The father shook his head dubiously.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The father shook his head dubiously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The father shook his head dubiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
immediately past
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Anderson sighed.
not any; not one
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
in a serious manner
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The father shook his head dubiously.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Mrs. Anderson sighed.
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That ain't like Jim," but made no other comment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jim's last letter was not taken seriously by the other members of the Anderson family.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young sisters were not given to worry.
Chapter 24 of The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 24 holds 386 sentences of The Desert of Wheat, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 24 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.
