Chapter 5 of The Desert Trail is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Desert Trail is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, what are you pinched for? Who do I go and see?" "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly. "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself! I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"
Chapter 5 of The Desert Trail is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “"Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.”
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “"Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"”
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading “"Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “"Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!”
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading “"Well, what are you pinched for?”
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading “"Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!”
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.
In this reading “I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"”
In this reading “I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"”
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 "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
for the reason that
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Pinched for nothing!" cried De Lancey bitterly.
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading "Pinched because I'm a Mexican citizen and can't protect myself!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading I'm _incomunicado_ for three days!"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
which person or people
From this reading Who do I go and see?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, what are you pinched for?
Chapter 5 of The Desert Trail by Dane Coolidge holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 5 holds 404 sentences of The Desert Trail, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Desert Trail by Dane Coolidge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 5 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 Trail by Dane Coolidge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3735 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52358 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52358, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Desert Trail 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 Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
