Chapter 1 of The Rim of the Desert is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Rim of the Desert is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him. It was a time when silence spoke. "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said. "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck. The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
Chapter 1 of The Rim of the Desert is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 61/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 301–305
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.
entangled or hindered as if e.g. in mire
From this reading “"They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.”
remove muck, clear away muck, as in a mine
From this reading “"They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.”
a large flow
From this reading “"They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.”
(used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
From this reading “The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.”
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading “The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.”
a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by running water)
From this reading “"I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.”
a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow
From this reading “"They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.”
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 “"They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.”
a wave of unusually cold weather
In this reading “The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.”
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 It was a time when silence spoke.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a time when silence spoke.
staying power
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
entangled or hindered as if e.g. in mire
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
remove muck, clear away muck, as in a mine
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
not any; not one
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
a large flow
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
(used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by running water)
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading It was a time when silence spoke.
a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading It was a time when silence spoke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "They had broken through thin ice in an overflow, and the sled had mired in muck.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was a time when silence spoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Every face was turned to him, but no one hurried him.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I came on Weatherbee's dogs in a small ravine," he said.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The cold wave set them tight; their legs were planted like posts, and I had to cut them out.
at the time that
From this reading It was a time when silence spoke.
Chapter 1 of The Rim of the Desert by Ada Woodruff Anderson holds 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 374 sentences of The Rim of the Desert, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Rim of the Desert by Ada Woodruff Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Rim of the Desert by Ada Woodruff Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7889 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13343 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13343, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1578 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rim of the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Rim of the Desert 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 Rim of the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
