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.
But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad. Here's to that road, gentlemen. Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule." The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others. But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
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 68/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 336–340
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.
a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union
From this reading “Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."”
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading “But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.”
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading “Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.”
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."”
make brown and crisp by heating
From this reading “The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.”
a fee levied for the use of roads or bridges (used for maintenance)
From this reading “But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.”
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.
the policy of granting equal trade opportunities to all countries
In this reading “But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.”
In this reading “The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.”
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 But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union
From this reading Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading Here's to that road, gentlemen.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here's to that road, gentlemen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Here's to that road, gentlemen.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading Here's to the Alaska Midway and Home Rule."
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Here's to that road, gentlemen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Tisdale had left his place to step through the open door to the balcony.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Here's to that road, gentlemen.
make brown and crisp by heating
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
a fee levied for the use of roads or bridges (used for maintenance)
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
up to a particular time
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The toast was responded to, and it was followed by others.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading But the toll will go on every year until we have a railroad.
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.
