Chapter XX of Crossed Trails in Mexico, “More Troubles,” is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XX
Chapter XX of Crossed Trails in Mexico, “More Troubles,” is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!" Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped. Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock. "Our car's stolen! Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
Chapter XX of Crossed Trails in Mexico, “More Troubles,” is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 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.
possessive form of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"”
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"”
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading “As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"”
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading “Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.”
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.”
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading “Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"”
superlative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.”
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.
give sudden release to an expression
In this reading “As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"”
In this reading “Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
possessive form of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
opinion or judgment
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
in the near future
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading As soon as she drew near, Florence burst out excitedly, "Our car's stolen!"
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jo Ann was the first to recover from the shock.
which person or people
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, who could've----Oh, it must've been the smugglers!"
superlative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Jo Ann's and Peggy's eyes stretched to their widest, and their lower jaws dropped.
Chapter 20 of Crossed Trails in Mexico by Helen Randolph holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 20 holds 160 sentences of Crossed Trails in Mexico, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Crossed Trails in Mexico by Helen Randolph exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 20 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 Crossed Trails in Mexico by Helen Randolph on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2803 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44061 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44061, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 561 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Crossed Trails in Mexico section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Crossed Trails in Mexico 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 Crossed Trails in Mexico, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
