Chapter 39 of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own. “If I ought to, I cannot. To shed blood in cold blood. When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it. It was a public duty.’
Chapter 39 of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading “When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “It was a public duty.’”
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.”
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading “It was a public duty.’”
only a very short time before
From this reading ““I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.”
get rid of
From this reading “To shed blood in cold blood.”
plural of “thief” — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.”
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 “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading To shed blood in cold blood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading To shed blood in cold blood.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading It was a public duty.’
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I ought to, I cannot.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
immediately past
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “If I ought to, I cannot.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading It was a public duty.’
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
only a very short time before
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
get rid of
From this reading To shed blood in cold blood.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
plural of “thief” — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If I ought to, I cannot.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “I cannot,” she answered, in a voice that scarcely seemed her own.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a public duty.’
at the time that
From this reading When I heard about that last fall,--about the killing of those cattle thieves,--I kept saying to myself: ‘He had to do it.
Chapter 39 of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 39 holds 256 sentences of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 39 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 Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1298 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1298, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1944 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains 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 Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
