Chapter 1 of From the Ranks is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of From the Ranks is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FROM THE RANKS. AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC. J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. FROM THE RANKS. A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
Chapter 1 of From the Ranks is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.”
possessive form of “colonel” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.”
the act of conquering
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.”
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.”
plural of “rank” — a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading “FROM THE RANKS.”
plural of “watch” — a small portable timepiece
From this reading “A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.”
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 A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
possessive form of “colonel” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
the act of conquering
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
a female human offspring
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM THE RANKS.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER," "MARION'S FAITH," "KITTY'S CONQUEST," ETC., ETC.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
plural of “rank” — a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading FROM THE RANKS.
not in physical motion
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM THE RANKS.
a special situation
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
plural of “watch” — a small portable timepiece
From this reading A strange thing had happened at the old fort during the still watches of the night.
Chapter 1 of From the Ranks by Charles King holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of From the Ranks, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of From the Ranks by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 From the Ranks by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16558, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 676 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From the Ranks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of From the Ranks 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 From the Ranks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
