Chapter 1 of George at the Wheel is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of George at the Wheel is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNCLE JOHN AND NED. "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes. Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately? I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?" "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
Chapter 1 of George at the Wheel is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"”
plural of “escape” — the act of escaping physically
From this reading “"Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"”
in the recent past
From this reading “Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading “"Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.”
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading “I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “UNCLE JOHN AND NED.”
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.
something achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin
In this reading “"Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading UNCLE JOHN AND NED.
any thing at all
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
one or the other of two
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
plural of “escape” — the act of escaping physically
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading UNCLE JOHN AND NED.
in the recent past
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCLE JOHN AND NED.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
express in words
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Have you seen anything of those ranchemen lately?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading UNCLE JOHN AND NED.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "No, sir; and I don't want to see them, either.
(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, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
which person or people
From this reading I mean the one who owns the stolen horse and his companion?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Ned, I must say, that you have had some narrow escapes.
Chapter 1 of George at the Wheel by Harry Castlemon holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of George at the Wheel, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of George at the Wheel by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 George at the Wheel by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3554 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 296 minutes of reading across 711 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through George at the Wheel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of George at the Wheel 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 George at the Wheel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
