Chapter 17 of Dick Merriwell's Pranks is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Dick Merriwell's Pranks is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a great uproar in Damascus. Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits. Rumors were flying thick. There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip. It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
Chapter 17 of Dick Merriwell's Pranks is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
an ancient city (widely regarded as the world's oldest) and present capital and largest city of Syria; according to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul (then known as Saul) underwent a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus
From this reading “There was a great uproar in Damascus.”
past form of “exile” — expel from a country
From this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
plural of “foreigner” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading “It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.”
a civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt
From this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading “Rumors were flying thick.”
A noble monarch or supreme sovereign ruler of an Islamic country or empire.
From this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
a native or inhabitant of Turkey
From this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
From this reading “There was a great uproar in Damascus.”
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.
In this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
the limits of the area occupied by a city or town
In this reading “Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.”
In this reading “There was a great uproar in Damascus.”
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 There was a great uproar in Damascus.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
an ancient city (widely regarded as the world's oldest) and present capital and largest city of Syria; according to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul (then known as Saul) underwent a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
past form of “exile” — expel from a country
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
moving swiftly
From this reading Rumors were flying thick.
plural of “foreigner” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
plural of “limit” — the greatest possible degree of something
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
on one occasion
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
a civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
first in rank or degree
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading Rumors were flying thick.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
people who have been slain (as in battle)
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
A noble monarch or supreme sovereign ruler of an Islamic country or empire.
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was said that some foreigners had been concerned in the murder of the Pasha.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Rumors were flying thick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
a native or inhabitant of Turkey
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a great uproar in Damascus.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Rumors were flying thick.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading There were many wild stories passing from lip to lip.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Hafsa Pasha, an exiled Turk, once a prime favorite of the sultan, had been slain in a house within the city limits.
Chapter 17 of Dick Merriwell's Pranks by Burt L. Standish holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 17 holds 288 sentences of Dick Merriwell's Pranks, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Dick Merriwell's Pranks by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 17 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 Dick Merriwell's Pranks by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6367 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41879 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41879, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 530 minutes of reading across 1274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dick Merriwell's Pranks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Dick Merriwell's Pranks 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 Dick Merriwell's Pranks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
