Chapter 1 of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell. Ned was already kneeling in the corner. "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly. "Have you got a gun?" "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
Chapter 1 of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “"What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.”
-ing form of “explode” — cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading “Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.”
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading “Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.”
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading “Ned was already kneeling in the corner.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.”
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading “Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.”
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading “"No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."”
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading “Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.”
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 "Have you got a gun?"
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
travel across or pass over
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
-ing form of “explode” — cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Have you got a gun?"
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Have you got a gun?"
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you got a gun?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
be shown or be found to be
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
being of use or service
From this reading "No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may prove more useful than a gun at this time."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ned was already kneeling in the corner.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by the exploding shell.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you got a gun?"
Chapter 1 of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal by G. Harvey (George Harvey) Ralphson holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 177 sentences of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal by G. Harvey (George Harvey) Ralphson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal by G. Harvey (George Harvey) Ralphson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 671 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal 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 Scouts Mysterious Signal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
