Dave Porter and His Classmates

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Stratemeyer • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Dave Porter and His Classmates

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

"We'll go over!"

"We'll be smashed to pieces!"

Narrator

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.

Chapter XXVI Reading 1/29

Dave Porter and His Classmates

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

Line 2

With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

/wɪð ə ˈpɔːrʃən ʌv ðə ˈhɑːrnəs ˈbroʊkən ðə ˈdraɪvər kʊd duː ˈlɪtəl ɔːr ˈnʌθɪŋ tuː kənˈtroʊl ðə tiːm/

Line 3

They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

/ðeɪ hæd ðə bɪts ɪn ðer tiːθ ənd plʌndʒd daʊn ðə hɪl ənd ˈoʊvər ðə rɑːks ɪn ə ˈmænər ðæt sent ðə ˈtɜːrnaʊt ˈswɪŋɪŋ fɜːrst tuː wʌn saɪd ənd ðen ðə ˈʌðər/

Line 4

"We'll go over!"

Line 5

"We'll be smashed to pieces!"

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.

bits noun US /bɪts/

plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading “They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.”

defeat noun US /dɪˈfiːt/

an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

From this reading “A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.”

harness verb US /ˈhɑːrnəs/

put a harness

From this reading “With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.”

peril noun US /ˈperəl/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading “A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.”

smashed adjective US /smæʃt/

very drunk

From this reading “"We'll be smashed to pieces!"”

students noun US /ˈstuːdənts/

plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading “A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.”

swinging noun US /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/

changing location by moving back and forth

From this reading “They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.”

turnout noun US /ˈtɜːrnaʊt/

the group that gathers together for a particular occasion

From this reading “They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.”

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.

great peril adjective + noun

In this reading “A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.”

plunged down verb + adjective counted as “plunge down”

In this reading “They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.”

go over verb + particle

hold a review (of troops)

In this reading “"We'll go over!"”

over the rocks preposition + article + noun counted as “over … rock”

In this reading “They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "We'll be smashed to pieces!"

bitsnounUS /bɪts/

plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

carryallnoun

a capacious bag or basket

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

controlnounUS /kənˈtroʊl/

power to direct or determine

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

DEFEATnounUS /dɪˈfiːt/

an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

drivernounUS /ˈdraɪvər/

the operator of a motor vehicle

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "We'll go over!"

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

HALLnounUS /hɔːl/

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

harnessverbUS /ˈhɑːrnəs/

put a harness

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

hillnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

OAKnounUS /oʊk/

the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

perilnounUS /ˈperəl/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

piecesnounUS /ˈpiːsəz/

plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole

From this reading "We'll be smashed to pieces!"

plungedverbUS /plʌndʒd/

past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

portionnounUS /ˈpɔːrʃən/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

realizedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

rocksnounUS /rɑːks/

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

smashedadjectiveUS /smæʃt/

very drunk

From this reading "We'll be smashed to pieces!"

studentsnounUS /ˈstuːdənts/

plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/

changing location by moving back and forth

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

teamnounUS /tiːm/

a cooperative unit (especially in sports)

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

teethnounUS /tiːθ/

the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

turnoutnounUS /ˈtɜːrnaʊt/

the group that gathers together for a particular occasion

From this reading They had the bits in their teeth and plunged down the hill and over the rocks in a manner that sent the turnout swinging first to one side and then the other.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A DEFEAT FOR OAK HALL It was a time of great peril and all the students in the carryall realized it.

We'll

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

From this reading "We'll go over!"

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With a portion of the harness broken, the driver could do little or nothing to control the team.

Chapter 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates by Edward Stratemeyer holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates contain?

Chapter 26 holds 148 sentences of Dave Porter and His Classmates, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 26 of Dave Porter and His Classmates?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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.

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Yes. All 4724 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #53414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 393 minutes of reading across 945 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XXVI

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