Chapter 1 of The High Hander 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 High Hander is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ACE BOOKS, INC. 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y. Tesno was a troubleshooter. That's why the railroad construction company had hired him. His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
Chapter 1 of The High Hander is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “ACE BOOKS, INC.”
plural of “america” — North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.”
the act of digging
From this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading “ACE BOOKS, INC.”
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
a worker whose job is to locate and fix sources of trouble (especially in mechanical devices)
From this reading “Tesno was a troubleshooter.”
move through by or as by digging
From this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
make a point of doing something; act purposefully and intentionally
In this reading “His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.”
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 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Tesno was a troubleshooter.
the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading ACE BOOKS, INC.
plural of “america” — North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
a line of approach
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading ACE BOOKS, INC.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
the act of constructing something
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
the act of digging
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading ACE BOOKS, INC.
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
engage in
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
no person; not anyone
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tesno was a troubleshooter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a worker whose job is to locate and fix sources of trouble (especially in mechanical devices)
From this reading Tesno was a troubleshooter.
move through by or as by digging
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tesno was a troubleshooter.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading That's why the railroad construction company had hired him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain.
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y.
Chapter 1 of The High Hander by William Oliver Turner 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 High Hander, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The High Hander by William Oliver Turner 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 High Hander by William Oliver Turner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3857 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50939 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50939, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The High Hander section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The High Hander 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 High Hander, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
