Chapter 38 of Popular Adventure Tales is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Popular Adventure Tales is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PIT-TRAP. While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet. All turned their eyes upon him as he did so. They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something. What could it be?
Chapter 38 of Popular Adventure Tales is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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 organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.”
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.”
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What could it be?
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could it be?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
opinion or judgment
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What could it be?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PIT-TRAP.
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
cut with a saw
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PIT-TRAP.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading All turned their eyes upon him as he did so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They saw by his manner that he was about to propose something.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could it be?
during the time that
From this reading While they were watching the movements of the quaggas, Von Bloom rose suddenly to his feet.
Chapter 38 of Popular Adventure Tales by Mayne Reid holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 38 holds 299 sentences of Popular Adventure Tales, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Popular Adventure Tales by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 38 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 Popular Adventure Tales by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25665 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25665, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2440 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Popular Adventure Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Popular Adventure Tales 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 Popular Adventure Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
