Chapter 1 of The Purchase Price is here in full — 326 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Purchase Price is here in full — 326 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So, the plot runs yet further? Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi? Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?" "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly. "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
Chapter 1 of The Purchase Price is here in full — 326 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 24/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 116–120
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.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “"Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.”
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?”
a city on the Loire river in north central France; site of the siege of Orleans by the English (1428-1429)
From this reading “Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"”
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading “Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “"So, the plot runs yet further?”
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading “"I make no promises, since you yourself make none."”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.”
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading “"So, the plot runs yet further?”
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 far side of; further than
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
divisible by two
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"
engage in
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"
not any; not one
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
not one, and not any
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
a city on the Loire river in north central France; site of the siege of Orleans by the English (1428-1429)
From this reading Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
by chance
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
express in words
From this reading Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, St. Louis, New Orleans?"
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Perhaps even beyond those points," he rejoined grimly.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
but in spite of that
From this reading "So, the plot runs yet further?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Perhaps you do not stop this side the outer ways of the Mississippi?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "I make no promises, since you yourself make none."
Chapter 1 of The Purchase Price by Emerson Hough holds 326 sentences, grouped into 66 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 326 sentences of The Purchase Price, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Purchase Price by Emerson Hough exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 326 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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 Purchase Price by Emerson Hough on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Purchase Price section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Purchase Price 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 Purchase Price, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
