Chapter 26 of Ralph on the Overland Express is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Ralph on the Overland Express is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him. The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout. He started to wave his hand. Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself. Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
Chapter 26 of Ralph on the Overland Express is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports
From this reading “Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.”
a large commercial and industrial city in northeastern Texas located in the heart of the northern Texas oil fields
From this reading “MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.”
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.”
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.”
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading “MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.”
impossible to repress or control
From this reading “The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.”
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading “The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.”
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
a large commercial and industrial city in northeastern Texas located in the heart of the northern Texas oil fields
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
impossible to repress or control
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
cut with a saw
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
the act of searching for something
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he shrank down on the car step as if seeking to hide himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
up to a particular time
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
communicated in words
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Ralph stood gazing after the coach until it had disappeared from view.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading He started to wave his hand.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The latter looked up as the young engineer uttered an irrepressible shout.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MYSTERY Ralph Fairbanks saw Zeph Dallas distinctly and recognized him.
Chapter 26 of Ralph on the Overland Express by Allen Chapman holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 26 holds 113 sentences of Ralph on the Overland Express, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Ralph on the Overland Express by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 26 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 Ralph on the Overland Express by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3822 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28655 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28655, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 765 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ralph on the Overland Express section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Ralph on the Overland 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 Ralph on the Overland Express, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
