Chapter 31 of The Fighting Edge is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Fighting Edge is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day. They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport. Their broncos were now grazing close at hand. "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?" Dud asked idly.
Chapter 31 of The Fighting Edge is here in full — 96 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.
plural of “bronco” — an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang
From this reading “Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.”
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.”
someone who is unsuccessful
From this reading “Dud asked idly.”
large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called “elk” in Europe and “moose” in North America
From this reading “A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.”
the act of grazing
From this reading “Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.”
plural of “jump” — a sudden and decisive increase
From this reading “"Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"”
-ing form of “lounge” — sit or recline comfortably
From this reading “A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.”
flat tableland with steep edges
From this reading “They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.”
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 “A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.”
close in space; within reach
In this reading “Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.”
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 RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Dud asked idly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
plural of “bronco” — an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
someone who is unsuccessful
From this reading Dud asked idly.
large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called “elk” in Europe and “moose” in North America
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
at any time
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
the act of grazing
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
in an idle manner
From this reading Dud asked idly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
plural of “jump” — a sudden and decisive increase
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
-ing form of “lounge” — sit or recline comfortably
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
flat tableland with steep edges
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their broncos were now grazing close at hand.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had been chasing a jack-rabbit across the mesa for sport.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN Dillon and Hollister were lounging on the bank of Elk Creek through the heat of the day.
at the time that
From this reading "Ever notice how a jack-rabbit jumps high when it's crowded?"
Chapter 31 of The Fighting Edge by William MacLeod Raine holds 96 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 31 holds 96 sentences of The Fighting Edge, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Fighting Edge by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 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 31 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 Fighting Edge by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7307 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26520 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26520, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fighting Edge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Fighting Edge 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 Fighting Edge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
