Chapter 21 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile. If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests? “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle. “Get down—get down. We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
Chapter 21 of The Light of the Western Stars is here in full — 244 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.
headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control
From this reading ““Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.”
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading “Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.”
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?”
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading ““Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?”
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading “Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.”
confined on all sides
From this reading “Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.”
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 Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Get down—get down.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
set up or found
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Get down—get down.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
on one occasion
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
above and across; more than
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
unusual or striking
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
not in physical motion
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
confined on all sides
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re sure amazin’ glad an’ proud.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Madeline and her party were at once eagerly surrounded by the cowboys, and she found it difficult to repress a smile.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading If these cowboys were still remarkable to her, what must they be to her guests?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wal, you-all raced over, I seen,” said Stillwell, taking Madeline’s bridle.
Chapter 21 of The Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 21 holds 244 sentences of The Light of the Western Stars, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Light of the Western Stars by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 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 21 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
