Chapter 20 of Guns and Snowshoes is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Guns and Snowshoes is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them. Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide. "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep. "Hullo, boys!" called the man at the fire, rising. "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
Chapter 20 of Guns and Snowshoes is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
expected hopefully
From this reading “SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.”
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading “Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.”
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading “"Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.”
plural of “duck” — small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs
From this reading “SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.”
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading “Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.”
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading “Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.”
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 SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
expected hopefully
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Hullo, boys!" called the man at the fire, rising.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
plural of “duck” — small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hullo, boys!" called the man at the fire, rising.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading "Hullo, boys!" called the man at the fire, rising.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Seated at a small fire in front of Birch Tree Inn was an elderly man dressed in the outfit of a mountain guide.
at the time that
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, it's Jack Dalton!" cried Shep.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading SHOOTING WILD DUCKS When the boys and Jed Sanborn reached camp a surprise awaited them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thought as how you'd be back some time to-day.
Chapter 20 of Guns and Snowshoes by Edward Stratemeyer holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 holds 96 sentences of Guns and Snowshoes, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Guns and Snowshoes by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 20 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 Guns and Snowshoes by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Guns and Snowshoes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Guns and Snowshoes 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 Guns and Snowshoes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
