Chapter 31 of Pioneer boys of the gold fields is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Pioneer boys of the gold fields is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made. The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained. It was too awful to be true. "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down. "Who did this?"
Chapter 31 of Pioneer boys of the gold fields is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading “A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.”
a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading “The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.”
plural of “nugget” — a solid lump of a precious metal (especially gold) as found in the earth
From this reading “The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “"Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.”
fall or descend to a lower place or level
In this reading “"Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.”
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 CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Who did this?"
the act of discovering something
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
remove the dust from
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
coins made of gold
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
something that is lost
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
by chance
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
a particular point in time
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
plural of “nugget” — a solid lump of a precious metal (especially gold) as found in the earth
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading "Gone!" gasped Maybe Dixon, and staggered to a rock and dropped down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Who did this?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was too awful to be true.
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The precious gold dust and the nuggets were gone--not a grain of their wealth remained.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A CRUSHING LOSS For a moment or two the three could not realize the truth of the crushing discovery which they had made.
which person or people
From this reading "Who did this?"
Chapter 31 of Pioneer boys of the gold fields by Edward Stratemeyer holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 31 holds 167 sentences of Pioneer boys of the gold fields, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Pioneer boys of the gold fields by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 31 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Pioneer boys of the gold fields, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
