Chapter 8 of Frank Merriwell's Alarm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Frank Merriwell's Alarm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED. By this time the boys were fully aroused. An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone. "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress. "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
Chapter 8 of Frank Merriwell's Alarm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
aroused to action
From this reading “By this time the boys were fully aroused.”
United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)
From this reading “"I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “"Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.”
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading “An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.”
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading “"I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.”
enameled or lacquered metalware (usually gilded and elaborately painted); popular in the 18th century
From this reading “"Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.”
plural of “toot” — a blast of a horn
From this reading “"Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.”
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 “"Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
aroused to action
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
psychological suffering
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
destroyed or killed
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
only a very short time before
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
a major river of western Siberia; flows generally northward and westward to the Gulf of Ob and the Kara Sea
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
enameled or lacquered metalware (usually gilded and elaborately painted); popular in the 18th century
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
plural of “toot” — a blast of a horn
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By this time the boys were fully aroused.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!" cried Toots, in great distress.
Chapter 8 of Frank Merriwell's Alarm by Burt L. Standish holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 8 holds 145 sentences of Frank Merriwell's Alarm, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Frank Merriwell's Alarm by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 8 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 Frank Merriwell's Alarm by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38429 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38429, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Frank Merriwell's Alarm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Frank Merriwell's Alarm 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 Frank Merriwell's Alarm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
