Chapter 10 of The Watchers of the Plains is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Watchers of the Plains is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter. In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be. In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason. Seth could write, even as he could read. But he was not handy at either.
Chapter 10 of The Watchers of the Plains is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.”
easy to reach
From this reading “But he was not handy at either.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.”
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading “SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.”
possessive form of “seth” — (Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading “In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.”
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 SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Seth could write, even as he could read.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But he was not handy at either.
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
an occurrence of something
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Seth could write, even as he could read.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
one or the other of two
From this reading But he was not handy at either.
divisible by two
From this reading Seth could write, even as he could read.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
easy to reach
From this reading But he was not handy at either.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Seth could write, even as he could read.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Seth could write, even as he could read.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
unusual or striking
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
possessive form of “seth” — (Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
in the near future
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
under normal conditions
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In Seth's case it nearly was so, but for a different reason.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading In these days of telephone, however, it soon will be.
produce a literary work
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
the act of creating written works
From this reading SETH ATTEMPTS TO WRITE A LETTER It is not usually a remarkable event in one's life, the writing of a letter.
Chapter 10 of The Watchers of the Plains by Ridgwell Cullum holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 10 holds 206 sentences of The Watchers of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Watchers of the Plains by Ridgwell Cullum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 10 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 Watchers of the Plains by Ridgwell Cullum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6499 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27521 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27521, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 541 minutes of reading across 1300 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Watchers of the Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Watchers 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 Watchers of the Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
