Chapter 17 of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon. Then Harry, who knew him well, asked: "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?" "Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim. "I did hear it!
Chapter 17 of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"”
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading “"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"”
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"”
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading “"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.”
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading “"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.”
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 WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
a youthful male person
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did hear it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I did hear it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
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 Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
cut with a saw
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
express in words
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
(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 Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT FREDDIE SAW For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on the hay-wagon.
which person or people
From this reading Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wild animals escaping from the circus?"
Chapter 17 of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook by Laura Lee Hope holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 17 holds 129 sentences of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook by Laura Lee Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 17 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 The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook by Laura Lee Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2954 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6576 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6576, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 246 minutes of reading across 591 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook 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 The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
