Chapter 2 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you." The boy laughed derisively. "My whoopin' days air over." The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder. "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
Chapter 2 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading “"Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.”
an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
From this reading “"Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.”
in a disrespectful and mocking manner
From this reading “The boy laughed derisively.”
a specialist in geology
From this reading “The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.”
important in effect or meaning
From this reading “"Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “"I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."”
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading “"I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."”
signal by winking
From this reading “"Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.”
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've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "My whoopin' days air over."
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy laughed derisively.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "My whoopin' days air over."
in a disrespectful and mocking manner
From this reading The boy laughed derisively.
a specialist in geology
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading The boy laughed derisively.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My whoopin' days air over."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
above and across; more than
From this reading "My whoopin' days air over."
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading The amazed and amused geologist put his hand on Arch's shoulder.
important in effect or meaning
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My whoopin' days air over."
signal by winking
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Never mind," he said, and with a significant wink he pulled a barometer out of his pocket and carefully noted the altitude.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I've a notion to git me a switch an' whoop the life out o' you."
Chapter 2 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 438 sentences of The Heart of the Hills, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 2 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
