Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains." The big man turned to the boy. "Is he dead yit?" "No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly. "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 17/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85
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.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “The big man turned to the boy.”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “"I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."”
superlative of “mean” — approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading “"I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."”
someone who climbs mountains
From this reading “"Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."”
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “"I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."”
with low volume
From this reading “"Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."”
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading “"No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big man turned to the boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading The big man turned to the boy.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Is he dead yit?"
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
a quad with a square body
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Is he dead yit?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is he dead yit?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The big man turned to the boy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
superlative of “mean” — approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
someone who climbs mountains
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
with low volume
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading "No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, he ain't dead yit," said the boy roughly.
a male human offspring
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
express in words
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'd give 'em to the meanest dog in these mountains."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The big man turned to the boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is he dead yit?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Son," said the mountaineer quietly, "you tell whutever you please about me."
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 1 holds 429 sentences of The Heart of the Hills, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3941 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5145 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5145, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Heart of the Hills section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Heart of the Hills 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 Hills, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
