Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Perhaps it is. What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure. Why don't you do things about the plains? It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere. It should come natural.”
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 4/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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.
brought into existence
From this reading “It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.”
an act that fails
From this reading “What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “It should come natural.””
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading “Why don't you do things about the plains?”
vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
From this reading “What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Why don't you do things about the plains?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
brought into existence
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It should come natural.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why don't you do things about the plains?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
an act that fails
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Perhaps it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Perhaps it is.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading It should come natural.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
by chance
From this reading “Perhaps it is.
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading Why don't you do things about the plains?
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It should come natural.”
from a time in the past until now
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
in or at or to some place
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Why don't you do things about the plains?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It ought to be easy, and you were born out there somewhere.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why don't you do things about the plains?
produce a literary work
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What I mean is, write what the public wants, since you don't relish failure.
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of The Lure of the Dim Trails, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1598 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1014 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1014, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lure of the Dim Trails section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Lure of the Dim Trails 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 Lure of the Dim Trails, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
