Chapter 34 of The Prairie is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Prairie is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
—Methought, I heard a voice. —Shakespeare. The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird. The passage proved prosperous and speedy. In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
Chapter 34 of The Prairie is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
highly skilled
From this reading “In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.”
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading “The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.”
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading “The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.”
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading “The passage proved prosperous and speedy.”
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading “In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.”
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “—Shakespeare.”
characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed
From this reading “The passage proved prosperous and speedy.”
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 —Methought, I heard a voice.
highly skilled
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
a feeling of favorable regard
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading —Methought, I heard a voice.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading —Methought, I heard a voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —Methought, I heard a voice.
absolutely essential
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The passage proved prosperous and speedy.
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading The passage proved prosperous and speedy.
established beyond doubt
From this reading The passage proved prosperous and speedy.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
Identical; not different.
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading —Shakespeare.
characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed
From this reading The passage proved prosperous and speedy.
moving very fast
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading —Methought, I heard a voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The water-courses were at their height, and the boat went down the swift current like a bird.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading In less than a third of the time, that would have been necessary for the same journey by land, it was accomplished by the favour of those rapid rivers.
Chapter 34 of The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 34 holds 206 sentences of The Prairie, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 34 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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Yes. All 6099 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6450 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
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About 508 minutes of reading across 1220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prairie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Prairie 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 Prairie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
