The Hills of Refuge: A Novel

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben • Curated US English Learning Edition

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AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/40

The Hills of Refuge: A Novel Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC. The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon. Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens. It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room. The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

The Hills of Refuge: A Novel

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

Line 2

The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

Line 3

Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

Line 4

It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

Line 5

The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Beacon noun US /ˈbiːkən/

a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance

From this reading “The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.”

Browne noun US /braʊn/

English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)

From this reading “It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.”

Capitol noun US /ˈkæpɪtəl/

a building occupied by a state legislature

From this reading “Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.”

daniel noun US /ˈdænjəl/

(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.”

dome noun US /doʊm/

a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward

residence noun US /ˈrezɪdəns/

any address at which you dwell more than temporarily

From this reading “The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.”

stoop verb US /stuːp/

bend one's back forward from the waist on down

Walnut noun US /ˈwɔːlnʌt/

nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell

From this reading “The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

painted white adjective + noun

In this reading “The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.”

Public Gardens noun + noun counted as “public garden”

In this reading “Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.”

two rooms noun + noun

In this reading “The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.”

first floor adjective + noun

the floor of a building that is at or nearest to the level of the ground around the building

In this reading “It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.”

look down verb + adjective

In this reading “Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.”

in the rear preposition + article + noun counted as “in … rear”

In this reading “It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.”

in the dining-room preposition + article + noun counted as “in … dining-room”

In this reading “It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

ABNER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

ANN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

BeaconnounUS /ˈbiːkən/

a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

BOYD

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

BrownenounUS /braʊn/

English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

CapitolnounUS /ˈkæpɪtəl/

a building occupied by a state legislature

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

CommonadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmən/

belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

DANIELnounUS /ˈdænjəl/

(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

dining-roomnoun

a room used for dining

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

domenounUS /doʊm/

a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

drawing-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

ETC

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

facedadjectiveUS /feɪst/

having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

folding-doors

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

GardensnounUS /ˈɡɑːrdənz/

plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

gold-sheeted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

ItsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

narrowverbUS /ˈneroʊ/

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

paintedadjectiveUS /ˈpeɪntɪd/

coated with paint

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

PublicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

rearnounUS /rɪr/

the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

red-brickadjective

of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

residencenounUS /ˈrezɪdəns/

any address at which you dwell more than temporarily

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

separatedadjectiveUS /ˈsepəreɪtɪd/

being or feeling set or kept apart from others

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

stoopverbUS /stuːp/

bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

three-story

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

TRIUMPHnounUS /ˈtraɪəmf/

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading AUTHOR OF "ANN BOYD," "ABNER DANIEL," "THE TRIUMPH," ETC.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

wainscotingnoun

a wainscoted wall (or wainscoted walls collectively)

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

WalnutnounUS /ˈwɔːlnʌt/

nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The house, a three-story red-brick residence, was on Walnut Street, near Beacon.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading It was a Sunday morning and the Browne family were at breakfast in the dining-room in the rear of the first floor, just back of the drawing-room.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading The two rooms were separated by folding-doors painted white, as was the wainscoting of the dining-room.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Its narrow front faced the state Capitol with its gold-sheeted dome; from its stoop one could look down on the Common and, from the corner of the street, see the Public Gardens.

Chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel contain?

Chapter 1 holds 201 sentences of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

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Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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.

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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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #35785, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1745 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Hills of Refuge: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Hills of Refuge: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hills of Refuge: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter I

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