Chapter 17 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope. They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight. Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house. Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant. One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
Chapter 17 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading “They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.”
plural of “guerrilla” — a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
From this reading “A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.”
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading “A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.”
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.”
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading “A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.”
able to see
From this reading “They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.”
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading “Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.”
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading “A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.”
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 A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
plural of “guerrilla” — a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
moving with great haste
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
the force of workers available
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
cut with a saw
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
able to see
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Several horses dashed past her, not ten feet distant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Rapid thumping of boots on the porch told of men hurrying from the house.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading One rider saw her, for he turned to shout back.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had sighted the cowboys and were in flight.
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading A shrill yell, followed by running and mounting guerrillas, roused her hope.
Chapter 17 of The Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 17 holds 241 sentences of The Light of the Western Stars, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 17 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 Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9623 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1095 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1095, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Light of the Western Stars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Light of the Western Stars 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 Light of the Western Stars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
