Chapter 12 of The Heart of the Desert is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Heart of the Desert is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke. Kut-le stood beside her. His expression was half eager, half tender. "How do you feel now?" he asked. "Quite well," answered Rhoda.
Chapter 12 of The Heart of the Desert is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.”
next to; at the side of
From this reading “Kut-le stood beside her.”
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading “His expression was half eager, half tender.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “His expression was half eager, half tender.”
an intervening period or episode
From this reading “AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “His expression was half eager, half tender.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.”
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Quite well," answered Rhoda.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Kut-le stood beside her.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Kut-le stood beside her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
an intervening period or episode
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kut-le stood beside her.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Quite well," answered Rhoda.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Kut-le stood beside her.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His expression was half eager, half tender.
(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 "Quite well," answered Rhoda.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading AN INTERLUDE Late in the afternoon, Rhoda woke.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How do you feel now?" he asked.
Chapter 12 of The Heart of the Desert by Honoré Morrow holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 12 holds 214 sentences of The Heart of the Desert, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Heart of the Desert by Honoré Morrow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 12 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 Heart of the Desert by Honoré Morrow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16777, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 439 minutes of reading across 1056 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Heart of the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Heart of the Desert 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 Heart of the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
