Chapter 26 of Dave Porter's Return to School is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Dave Porter's Return to School is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone. "That's it," agreed Jasniff. "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!" "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole. "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
Chapter 26 of Dave Porter's Return to School is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.”
be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
From this reading “"Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"”
plural of “crony” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.”
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “"I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.”
a school for students intermediate between elementary school and college; usually grades 9 to 12
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.”
possessive form of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.”
twist and press out of shape
From this reading “"Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"”
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.
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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "That's it," agreed Jasniff.
Having no one else present.
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
plural of “crony” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
set up or found
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
a school for students intermediate between elementary school and college; usually grades 9 to 12
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "That's it," agreed Jasniff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's it," agreed Jasniff.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
possessive form of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's it," agreed Jasniff.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I suppose they had their feast on the quiet," grumbled Poole.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
look attentively
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "We were foolish that we did not watch them more closely."
at the time that
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE GYMNASIUM "This is some more of Porter's doings," growled the bully of Oak Hall, when he and his cronies found themselves alone.
twist and press out of shape
From this reading "Confound him, I'd like to wring his neck!"
Chapter 26 of Dave Porter's Return to School by Edward Stratemeyer holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 26 holds 155 sentences of Dave Porter's Return to School, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Dave Porter's Return to School by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 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.
Common questions about reading Dave Porter's Return to School by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 985 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Porter's Return to School section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Dave Porter's Return to School 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 Dave Porter's Return to School, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
