Chapter 1 of Frank Roscoe's Secret is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Frank Roscoe's Secret is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out. "What were you doing in there? Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister. "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice. "Court-plaster?
Chapter 1 of Frank Roscoe's Secret is here in full — 113 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.
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading “Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.”
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.”
administer a drug to
From this reading “By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.”
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading “Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.”
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading “Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.”
interact in a certain way
From this reading “Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.”
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 Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What were you doing in there?
administer a drug to
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "What were you doing in there?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
interact in a certain way
From this reading Having a Dutch treat of soda?" asked Bart of his sister.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was taking back some court-plaster I had," replied Alice.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What were you doing in there?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading By this time the four boys were in front of the drug store, from which Alice Keene and Jennie Smith came out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What were you doing in there?
Chapter 1 of Frank Roscoe's Secret by Allen Chapman holds 113 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 1 holds 113 sentences of Frank Roscoe's Secret, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Frank Roscoe's Secret by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 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 1 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 Roscoe's Secret by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 276 minutes of reading across 665 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Frank Roscoe's Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Frank Roscoe's Secret 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 Roscoe's Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
