Chapter 1 of The Hills of Desire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Hills of Desire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC. "Well, I was wan. The two Maddens was two. Eddie Carey was three. Jim Powers was four.
Chapter 1 of The Hills of Desire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “Jim Powers was four.”
coins made of gold
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.”
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.”
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading “Jim Powers was four.”
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.”
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.”
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading “"Well, I was wan.”
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.
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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eddie Carey was three.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eddie Carey was three.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
start firing a weapon
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Jim Powers was four.
coins made of gold
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I was wan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Powers was four.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two Maddens was two.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading Jim Powers was four.
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Eddie Carey was three.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHEPHERD OF THE NORTH," "GOLD MUST BE TRIED BY FIRE," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two Maddens was two.
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading "Well, I was wan.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, I was wan.
(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, I was wan.
Chapter 1 of The Hills of Desire by Richard Aumerle Maher holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Hills of Desire, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Hills of Desire by Richard Aumerle Maher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Hills of Desire by Richard Aumerle Maher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4933 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46852 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46852, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 411 minutes of reading across 987 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hills of Desire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Hills of Desire 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 Hills of Desire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
