Chapter 1 of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?" "Higher'n these? Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them." "These are big enough. Are there any higher mountains in the world than ours?
Chapter 1 of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading “Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."”
placed crosswise
From this reading “Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."”
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading “"Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"”
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “"Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"”
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading “"Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"”
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading “Are there any higher mountains in the world than ours?”
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."”
two times
From this reading “Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "These are big enough.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "These are big enough.
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
placed crosswise
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "These are big enough.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Higher'n these?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Are there any higher mountains in the world than ours?
and nothing more
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading Are there any higher mountains in the world than ours?
express in words
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
two times
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, Steve, the mountains we crossed away back there, just this side of the Texas border, were twice as high, some of them."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Are there any higher mountains in the world than ours?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you say, Murray, there were any higher mountains than these?"
Chapter 1 of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story by William O. Stoddard holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story by William O. Stoddard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Talking Leaves: An Indian Story by William O. Stoddard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4972 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 414 minutes of reading across 995 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story 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 Talking Leaves: An Indian Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
