Chapter 1 of The Guns of Bull Run is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Guns of Bull Run is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder. It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table. "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily. "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting. Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
Chapter 1 of The Guns of Bull Run is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.”
headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control
From this reading “"Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.”
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading “It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.”
having been prepared for eating by the application of heat
From this reading “Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.”
put a saddle on
From this reading “"Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.”
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 It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
aroused or activated
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
having been prepared for eating by the application of heat
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Your breakfast has been cooked for you, and everything else is ready."
put a saddle on
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Harry was awakened by his father shaking his shoulder.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was yet dark outside, but a small lamp burned on his table.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is time for you to go, Harry," said Colonel Kenton, somewhat unsteadily.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your horse, bridle and saddle on, is waiting.
Chapter 1 of The Guns of Bull Run by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler holds 350 sentences, grouped into 70 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 350 sentences of The Guns of Bull Run, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Guns of Bull Run by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 Guns of Bull Run by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5159 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3653 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3653, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 429 minutes of reading across 1032 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Guns of Bull Run section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Guns of Bull Run 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 Guns of Bull Run, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
