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.
"Who's comin' up here?" "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker." "Did you tell'em?" The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly. "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
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 79/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 391–395
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.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading “"Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."”
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading “The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"I hain't told a soul," she gasped".”
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “"I hain't told a soul," she gasped".”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “"Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."”
in a swift manner
From this reading “The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “"Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."”
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 "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's comin' up here?"
placed crosswise
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you tell'em?"
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
a young female
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Who's comin' up here?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
in a swift manner
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Did you tell'em?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl crossed her heart and body swiftly.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I hain't told a soul," she gasped".
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Them strangers an' grandpap an' Uncle Arch--an' another rock-pecker."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Who's comin' up here?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's comin' up here?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you tell'em?"
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.
