Chapter 11 of Lightning Express is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Lightning Express is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE HORSE SHOE. “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer. “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly. “We can get along without you.” “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
Chapter 11 of Lightning Express is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
move away from a place into another direction
From this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
in an unqualified manner
From this reading ““I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.”
requiring attention or action
From this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading ““Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.”
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading “AT THE HORSE SHOE.”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
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 ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
proceed or get along
In this reading ““We can get along without you.””
In this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
In this reading ““I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.”
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 “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
later than; following
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “We can get along without you.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE HORSE SHOE.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “We can get along without you.”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
move away from a place into another direction
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
in an unqualified manner
From this reading “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “We can get along without you.”
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading AT THE HORSE SHOE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
requiring attention or action
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
by chance
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.
express in words
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading AT THE HORSE SHOE.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Perhaps I may be of some service to you,” I modestly suggested.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE HORSE SHOE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I say I don’t want you here,” replied Tommy, flatly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We can get along without you.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “We can get along without you.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “I should like to stay with you a few days, Major Tommy,” I ventured to say, after the young lord had given me the imperative order to depart on the steamer.
Chapter 11 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic holds 124 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 11 holds 124 sentences of Lightning Express, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 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 11 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.
