Chapter 28 of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard. He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice. "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom." "Made 'em worse? They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
Chapter 28 of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 first-year undergraduate
From this reading “A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “"I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.”
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading “He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “"I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.”
In this reading “A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.”
In this reading “He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.”
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 A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
later than; following
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "Made 'em worse?
a first-year undergraduate
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
and nothing more
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They can't be any worse," was the testy reply.
male cat
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was roused from his reverie by Phil's voice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A FRESHMAN PLOT Tom stood staring at the door which closed after Sid--staring as if he could not believe what he had heard.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm afraid you've only made matters worse, Tom."
Chapter 28 of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball by Lester Chadwick holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 28 holds 99 sentences of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball by Lester Chadwick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 28 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.
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Yes. All 4451 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41206 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41206, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 891 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball 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 Batting to Win: A Story of College Baseball, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
