Chapter 1 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks." "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg. I have been watching them for some time." "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things." The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
Chapter 1 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
official approval
From this reading “The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.”
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading “The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.”
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading “"Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."”
usually; as a rule
From this reading “"I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."”
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading “The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “"Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."”
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading “The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.”
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 have been watching them for some time."”
In this reading “"Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."”
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 speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
official approval
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
have
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have been watching them for some time."
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I have been watching them for some time."
usually; as a rule
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have been watching them for some time."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
the force of workers available
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I have been watching them for some time."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I have been watching them for some time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks."
in the company of; together with
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things."
Chapter 1 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman holds 115 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 1 holds 115 sentences of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 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 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 Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3993 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38969 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38969, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 332 minutes of reading across 799 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ralph, the Train Dispatcher section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher 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, the Train Dispatcher, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
