Chapter 12 of The Road to Frontenac is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Road to Frontenac is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS. The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley. The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog. As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew. The grass was wet and shining.
Chapter 12 of The Road to Frontenac is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading “As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.”
past form of “glisten” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.”
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.”
a member of the Iroquoian people formerly living between Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River
From this reading “The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS.”
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.”
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 The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The grass was wet and shining.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
past form of “glisten” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The grass was wet and shining.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
become covered with mist
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
a member of the Iroquoian people formerly living between Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading The grass was wet and shining.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS.
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading THE BIG THROAT SPEAKS.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The trees came slowly out of the gray air, like ships approaching through a fog.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The light of the rising sun struggled through the mist that lay on the Onondaga Valley.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The grass was wet and shining.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading The grass was wet and shining.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As the sun rose higher, each leaf glistened with dew.
Chapter 12 of The Road to Frontenac by Samuel Merwin holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 12 holds 396 sentences of The Road to Frontenac, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Road to Frontenac by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 12 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 Road to Frontenac by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5912 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28958 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28958, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 492 minutes of reading across 1183 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Road to Frontenac section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Road to Frontenac 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 Road to Frontenac, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
