Chapter 14 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose. He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message. He had raised up off the sounder. "L. M. due at 11:53. Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
Chapter 14 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 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.
highly skilled
From this reading “OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.”
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
the act of receiving
From this reading “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
a device for making soundings
From this reading “He had raised up off the sounder.”
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.”
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 “He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.”
as supposed or expected
In this reading “OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
highly skilled
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading "L. M. due at 11:53.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had raised up off the sounder.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading He had raised up off the sounder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
the act of receiving
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
a device for making soundings
From this reading He had raised up off the sounder.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He knew it, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction as he heard the sharp tic-tac that announced the receipt of his message.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He had raised up off the sounder.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will hold--9," and 9, Ralph well knew, meant train orders.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading OLD 93 The west wire was open, sure enough, and Ralph had accomplished his purpose.
Chapter 14 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 14 holds 135 sentences of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 14 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.
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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.
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Choose one of the 32 chapters of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher to begin.
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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.
