Chapter 1 of Behind the Line is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Behind the Line is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Third down, four yards to gain!" The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick. "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily. "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain. "Block this kick!"
Chapter 1 of Behind the Line is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “"Block this kick!"”
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
(sports) the chief official (as in boxing or American football) who is expected to ensure fair play
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
(American football) practice play between a football team's squads
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
inflected form of “scurry” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading “"Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.”
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading “The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
anew
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading "Block this kick!"
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
obtain
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
drive or propel with the foot
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
one of four equal parts
From this reading "_9--6--12!_" called quarter huskily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
(sports) the chief official (as in boxing or American football) who is expected to ensure fair play
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
(American football) practice play between a football team's squads
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
inflected form of “scurry” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Block this kick!"
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Get through!" shrieked the St. Eustace captain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
make whistling sounds
From this reading The referee trotted out of the scrimmage line and blew his whistle; the Hillton quarter-back crouched again behind the big center; the other backs scurried to their places as though for a kick.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading "Third down, four yards to gain!"
Chapter 1 of Behind the Line by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of Behind the Line, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Behind the Line by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Behind the Line by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3789 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13556 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13556, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 758 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Behind the Line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Behind the Line 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 Behind the Line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
