Chapter 1 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC. AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC. WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS. BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD. NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
Chapter 1 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.”
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading “_THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.”
plural of “mishap” — an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading “_THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.”
an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.”
forward in time or order or degree
From this reading “_THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.”
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.”
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.”
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.
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 _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
plural of “mishap” — an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
forward in time or order or degree
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
directed up
From this reading _THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._ THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.
in the company of; together with
From this reading WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," "THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE STARRY FLAG STORIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.
Chapter 1 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of Plane and Plank, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3859 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plane and Plank section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Plane and Plank 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 Plane and Plank, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
