Chapter 8 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face. His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid. His mother followed him to the door. "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks. "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
Chapter 8 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading “"You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.”
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading “His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.”
past form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading “"Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.”
hurl as if with a sling
From this reading “His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.”
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading “"Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.”
superlative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “"You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. 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 “"Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.”
In this reading “"Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.”
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 OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading His mother followed him to the door.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading His mother followed him to the door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His mother followed him to the door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
immediately past
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading His mother followed him to the door.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
past form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
hurl as if with a sling
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
having intellectual depth
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His mother followed him to the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His arm was in a sling and he quite looked the invalid.
superlative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY Ralph came out of the house with a thoughtful look on his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, mother, you predicted that I wouldn't feel quite so spry this morning as last night.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You see, I was the wisest," spoke Mrs. Fairbanks.
Chapter 8 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 8 holds 145 sentences of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 8 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.
