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.
"Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do. Come now--you two boys shake hands." At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand. The old man laughed. "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
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 43/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 211–215
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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.”
an opposing military force
From this reading “At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.”
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading “At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.”
a boy or man
From this reading “At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.”
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.”
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading “"Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “Come now--you two boys shake hands."”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “"Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."”
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 At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
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 "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
an opposing military force
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
a boy or man
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading The old man laughed.
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man laughed.
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man laughed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
on one occasion
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
with speed
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading "Come on in, Jason--you an' Mavis--an' stay to supper."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading At once the stranger lad walked forward to his enemy, and confused Jason gave him a limp hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, no!" said the colonel quickly; "this won't do.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Come now--you two boys shake hands."
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.
