Chapter 17 of Frank Merriwell's Chase is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Frank Merriwell's Chase is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork. There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it. “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy. “He will come back for me!”
Chapter 17 of Frank Merriwell's Chase is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
capital and largest city of Northern Ireland; the center of Protestantism in Northern Ireland
From this reading ““Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.”
outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading “FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.”
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading ““Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.”
lacking natural ease
From this reading “There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.”
plural of “thwart” — a crosspiece spreading the gunnels of a boat; used as a seat in a rowboat
From this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
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.
be restored
In this reading ““He will come back for me!””
a boat that is small
In this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
In this reading “Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.”
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 Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “He will come back for me!”
capital and largest city of Northern Ireland; the center of Protestantism in Northern Ireland
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “He will come back for me!”
outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “He will come back for me!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.
go away from a place
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
lacking natural ease
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
plural of “thwart” — a crosspiece spreading the gunnels of a boat; used as a seat in a rowboat
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
in the direction of
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Oh, he can’t mean to leave me this way!” sobbed the Belfast boy.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “He will come back for me!”
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading Walter Wallace wept and wrung his hands, clinging to the thwarts of the small boat, which was tossed about like a bit of cork.
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading There was a light on the yacht, and he strained his eyes toward it.
Chapter 17 of Frank Merriwell's Chase by Burt L. Standish holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of Frank Merriwell's Chase, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Frank Merriwell's Chase by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Frank Merriwell's Chase by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4212 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63483 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63483, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Frank Merriwell's Chase section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Frank Merriwell's Chase 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 Chase, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
