Chapter 1 of The Riverman is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Riverman is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin. Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise. “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer. “Eat hearty. I'm going to feed yet myself.
Chapter 1 of The Riverman is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 17/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85
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.
replying
From this reading “At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.”
come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading “Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.”
provide as food
From this reading “I'm going to feed yet myself.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.”
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading ““Eat hearty.”
any new participant in some activity
From this reading ““Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.”
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.”
happening or arising without apparent external cause
From this reading “At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.”
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 At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
replying
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
on or to one side
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
take in solid food
From this reading “Eat hearty.
provide as food
From this reading I'm going to feed yet myself.
the act of departing
From this reading I'm going to feed yet myself.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading “Eat hearty.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm going to feed yet myself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I'm going to feed yet myself.
any new participant in some activity
From this reading “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
be seated
From this reading “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.
happening or arising without apparent external cause
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Sit still, Tom,” interposed the newcomer.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
male cat
From this reading Tom North laid aside his plate and started to arise.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At this they looked up with a spontaneous answering grin.
but in spite of that
From this reading I'm going to feed yet myself.
Chapter 1 of The Riverman by Stewart Edward White holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of The Riverman, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Riverman by Stewart Edward White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Riverman by Stewart Edward White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7499 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1099 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1099, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1500 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Riverman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Riverman 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 Riverman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
