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.
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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.
"Don't know?" echoed the colonel. "Well--" The old man broke in: "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home." The boy did not lift his eyes. "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
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 42/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 206–210
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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.”
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “"Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “"Don't know?" echoed the colonel.”
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading “"Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."”
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “The boy did not lift his eyes.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “"Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."”
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading “"I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
lacking funds
From this reading "Well--" The old man broke in:
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 "Don't know?" echoed the colonel.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't know?" echoed the colonel.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading "Don't know?" echoed the colonel.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well--" The old man broke in:
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Don't know?" echoed the colonel.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Well--" The old man broke in:
social deportment
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boy did not lift his eyes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Well--" The old man broke in:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
not in physical motion
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Don't know?" echoed the colonel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was a-goin' home anyhow," he said, still sullen, and he turned.
(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--" The old man broke in:
at the time that
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jason, if you have lost yo' manners an' don't know how to behave when thar's strangers around, I reckon you'd better go on home."
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.
