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.
The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful. But immediately a dozen men interfered. “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name. “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside! If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
Chapter 1 of The Riverman is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 9/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 41–45
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.
having dark hairs mixed with grey or white
From this reading ““Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.”
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “But immediately a dozen men interfered.”
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading “The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.”
an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
From this reading ““Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.”
cause to come out in a squirt
From this reading ““You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!”
wear off or die down
From this reading ““You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!”
oblivious of dangers or perils or calmly resolute in facing them
From this reading “The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.”
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.”
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 immediately a dozen men interfered.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
having the benefit of careful prior consideration or counsel
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But immediately a dozen men interfered.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading But immediately a dozen men interfered.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
a quad with a square body
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
the act of departing
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
having dark hairs mixed with grey or white
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading But immediately a dozen men interfered.
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading But immediately a dozen men interfered.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
the force of workers available
From this reading But immediately a dozen men interfered.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
cause to come out in a squirt
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
wear off or die down
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
male cat
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
oblivious of dangers or perils or calmly resolute in facing them
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Dry up!” advised the grizzled old-timer--Tom North by name.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading The red-headed man, quite unafraid, rose slowly from the log and advanced, bare-handed, his small eyes narrowed and watchful.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you're going to have ructions, why, have 'em, but not on drive.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “You, Purdy, set down; and you, young squirt, subside!
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.
