Chapter 7 of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do. There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go. “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now. I had much better have stopped at home. Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.”
Chapter 7 of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading ““Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading ““Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.”
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.””
a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
From this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
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.
a railway car that carries freight
In this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
In this reading “I had much better have stopped at home.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “I had much better have stopped at home.”
In this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
In this reading “There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.”
In this reading “DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.”
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 he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I had much better have stopped at home.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.”
(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 I had much better have stopped at home.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had much better have stopped at home.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I had much better have stopped at home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I had much better have stopped at home.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
above and across; more than
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Running away isn’t as much fun as I thought it was.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I had much better have stopped at home.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car, that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well,” thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, “I am in a fix now.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading DON IN THE CITY Poor Don did not know what to do.
Chapter 7 of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 7 holds 111 sentences of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 7 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 Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1793 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 149 minutes of reading across 359 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures 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 Don, a Runaway Dog: His Many Adventures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
