Chapter 19 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern. As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door. Adair nudged Ralph. "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone. "Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.
Chapter 19 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “"Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.”
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
past form of “nudge” — to push against gently
From this reading “Adair nudged Ralph.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “"The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.”
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 “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
In this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
In this reading “As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.”
In this reading “ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.”
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 As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading "Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
past form of “nudge” — to push against gently
From this reading Adair nudged Ralph.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE LOOKOUT Ten minutes later Ralph and Bob Adair entered the office of the superintendent of the Great Northern.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "The President of the road," he spoke in a low quick tone.
having tasteful clothing and being scrupulously neat
From this reading As they did so, a tall, well-dressed man left by another door.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I see," nodded Ralph.
Chapter 19 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 19 holds 105 sentences of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Ralph, the Train Dispatcher by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 19 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.
