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Bert Wilson at the Wheel
Bert Wilson at the Wheel

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By J. W. Duffield • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Bert Wilson at the Wheel
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.
He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.
Was it rain?
At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.
Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Bert Wilson at the Wheel

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.
Line 2
He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.
/hiː sæt ʌp ɪn bed ənd ˈlɪsənd ənd æskt hɪmˈself wʌt ðæt saʊnd wɑːz/
Line 3
Was it rain?
/wɑːz ɪt reɪn/
Line 4
At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.
/æt ðə θɔːt hɪz hɑːrt ɡruː ˈhevi wɪð ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/
Line 5
Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Learner Dictionary

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.

apprehension noun US /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading “At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
auto noun US /ˈɔːtoʊ/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
awake adjective US /əˈweɪk/

not in a state of sleep; completely conscious

From this reading “BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Ben's noun US /benz/

possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill

From this reading “BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fishing noun US /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

the act of someone who fishes as a diversion

From this reading “Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sounded verb US /ˈsaʊndɪd/

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

From this reading “BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tap verb US /tæp/

cut a female screw thread with a tap

From this reading “BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trout noun US /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading “Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

ten miles noun + noun counted as “ten mile”

In this reading “Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.”

7,011 times in 426,211 chapters
fully awake adverb + adjective

In this reading “BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.”

434 times in 426,211 chapters
grew heavy verb + adjective counted as “grow heavy”

In this reading “At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.”

917 times in 426,211 chapters
with apprehension preposition + noun

In this reading “At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.”

1,484 times in 426,211 chapters
in bed preposition + noun

In this reading “He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.”

21,491 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 54

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
apprehensionnounUS /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
autonounUS /ˈɔːtoʊ/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/

not in a state of sleep; completely conscious

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Ben'snounUS /benz/

possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Bert

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Pending verification
BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earsnounUS /ɪrz/

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fishingnounUS /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

the act of someone who fishes as a diversion

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fullyadverbUS /ˈfʊli/

to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HAIR'S-BREADTHnoun

a very small distance or space

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Was it rain?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
rainnounUS /reɪn/

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading Was it rain?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soundedverbUS /ˈsaʊndɪd/

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TapverbUS /tæp/

cut a female screw thread with a tap

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
troutnounUS /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's ears before he was fully awake and conscious.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading He sat up in bed and listened, and asked himself what that sound was.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bert and Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day of trout fishing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At the thought his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

What does chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel contain?

Chapter 16 holds 113 sentences of Bert Wilson at the Wheel, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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.

Questions about reading Bert Wilson at the Wheel

Common questions about reading Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Bert Wilson at the Wheel?

Yes. All 2509 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38560 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38560, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Bert Wilson at the Wheel take to read?

About 209 minutes of reading across 502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Bert Wilson at the Wheel section by section

How to work through Bert Wilson at the Wheel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of Bert Wilson at the Wheel to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Bert Wilson at the Wheel

Words and structures a reader meets early in Bert Wilson at the Wheel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Scout
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bert Wilson at the Wheel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dandy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bert Wilson at the Wheel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Who'd
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bert Wilson at the Wheel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thought
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bert Wilson at the Wheel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.