Project Gutenberg Library B1 C1

The Soldier Boy

The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic is available here as the complete text, split into 757 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Oliver Optic32 chapters

The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #14595.

32 chaptersComplete chronicle

Five linesIn each reading

US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Open Chapter I

Academic course · 32 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

The Soldier Boy

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 746 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #14595, divided into 32 chapters and 757 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.

Where can I read The Soldier Boy in full?

The complete text of The Soldier Boy is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #14595 and divided into 757 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #14595, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3785 sentences across 32 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is The Soldier Boy divided for reading?

The Soldier Boy is presented in 32 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Soldier Boy as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 757 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 32 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.

Can I hear The Soldier Boy read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Soldier Boy can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Soldier Boy can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading The Soldier Boy

Common questions about reading The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Soldier Boy?

Yes. All 3785 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Soldier Boy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Soldier Boy take to read?

About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Soldier Boy section by section

How to work through The Soldier Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Soldier Boy to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Soldier Boy

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Soldier Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Somers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Soldier Boy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Family: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Soldier Boy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pinchbrook: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Soldier Boy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Soldier Boy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

The Soldier Boy

Where can I read The Soldier Boy in full?

How is The Soldier Boy divided for reading?

Can I hear The Soldier Boy read aloud?

Questions about reading The Soldier Boy

How to read The Soldier Boy section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The Soldier Boy