Chapter XXIII of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow, “Escape,” is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIII of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow, “Escape,” is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance. Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case. Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening. “Joe Hansart!” he exclaimed. “He must have seen us come in here.”
Chapter XXIII of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow, “Escape,” is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading “Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.”
inflected form of “dam” — obstruct with, or as if with, a dam
From this reading “Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.”
past form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading “Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.”
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading “Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.”
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.”
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 “Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.”
In this reading “Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.”
In this reading “Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.”
to come or go into
In this reading ““He must have seen us come in here.””
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 Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
inflected form of “dam” — obstruct with, or as if with, a dam
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Joe Hansart!” he exclaimed.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Joe Hansart!” he exclaimed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Joe Hansart!” he exclaimed.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Joe Hansart!” he exclaimed.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
with low volume
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
past form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Obviously, someone had quietly shoved a great boulder across the narrow opening.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Sober reflection, however, told him that such was not the case.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “He must have seen us come in here.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jack’s first thought was that a rock slide had dammed up the mine entrance.
Chapter 23 of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow by Don Palmer holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 23 holds 169 sentences of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow by Don Palmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 23 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 Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow by Don Palmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3883 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54632 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54632, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow 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 Boy Scout Explorers at Headless Hollow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
