Chapter 1 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon. "What do you say, Mac?" "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl. He was a man of few words. "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
Chapter 1 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
season with a mixture of spices; typical of Indian cooking
From this reading “"Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.”
a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
From this reading “"Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.”
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading “"Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.”
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading “"What do you say, Mac?"”
Canadian explorer (born in England) who explored the Mackenzie River and who was first to cross North America by land north of Mexico (1764-1820)
From this reading “"Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.”
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading “"Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.”
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.
In this reading “He was a man of few words.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.”
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 "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
season with a mixture of spices; typical of Indian cooking
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you say, Mac?"
a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He was a man of few words.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a man of few words.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading "What do you say, Mac?"
Canadian explorer (born in England) who explored the Mackenzie River and who was first to cross North America by land north of Mexico (1764-1820)
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a man of few words.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a man of few words.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "Ay," responded Alan Mackenzie, in a drawl.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
express in words
From this reading "What do you say, Mac?"
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Jolly good curry!" said Bob Jackson, looking up over his spoon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a man of few words.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you say, Mac?"
the words that are spoken
From this reading He was a man of few words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you say, Mac?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your Hamid is certainly a treasure of a cook," Jackson went on.
Chapter 1 of The Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of The Old Man of the Mountain, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3719 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40751 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40751, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 744 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Man of the Mountain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Old Man of the Mountain 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 Old Man of the Mountain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
