Chapter 10 of Lightning Express is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Lightning Express is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
KEEPING THE PEACE. “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner. “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied. “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.” “What will Tommy say?” added Captain Underwood.
Chapter 10 of Lightning Express is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading ““We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.””
conformity or harmony
From this reading “KEEPING THE PEACE.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
plural of “wimp” — a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy
From this reading ““We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.””
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.
In this reading ““We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.””
In this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
proceed (with a plan of action)
In this reading ““Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.”
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 “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “What will Tommy say?” added Captain Underwood.
at or in the front
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
conformity or harmony
From this reading KEEPING THE PEACE.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading KEEPING THE PEACE.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
express in words
From this reading “What will Tommy say?” added Captain Underwood.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading KEEPING THE PEACE.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What will Tommy say?” added Captain Underwood.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What will Tommy say?” added Captain Underwood.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “There will be a fight if we do,” I replied.
plural of “wimp” — a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy
From this reading “We can land the Wimps in ten or fifteen minutes.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Hadn’t we better let our boys out before we go ahead?” asked Captain Underwood, in a low tone, as the engineer disappeared with his prisoner.
Chapter 10 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 10 holds 125 sentences of Lightning Express, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 10 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 Lightning Express by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3354 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 671 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lightning Express section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Lightning Express 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 Lightning Express, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
