Chapter 21 of Boys and Girls Bookshelf is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Boys and Girls Bookshelf is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo. "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it. He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that. The Prince called him 'my son.'" "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
Chapter 21 of Boys and Girls Bookshelf is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “"It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “The Prince called him 'my son.'"”
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “"It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.”
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.”
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading “"Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.”
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading “He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “"Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.”
a male human offspring
From this reading “The Prince called him 'my son.'"”
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 "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The Prince called him 'my son.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
divisible by two
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Prince called him 'my son.'"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
engage in
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The Prince called him 'my son.'"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
a male human offspring
From this reading The Prince called him 'my son.'"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was given the rank of a sergeant, and something better even than that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It was too bad that they didn't make him a general," said Viggo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Then was he made a sergeant?" asked Viggo.
at the time that
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, when the Prince had heard of it.
Chapter 21 of Boys and Girls Bookshelf by Various holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 21 holds 412 sentences of Boys and Girls Bookshelf, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Boys and Girls Bookshelf by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 21 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 Boys and Girls Bookshelf by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29386 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29386, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boys and Girls Bookshelf section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Boys and Girls Bookshelf 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 Boys and Girls Bookshelf, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
