Chapter 10 of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BATTLE IN MID–AIR. But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency. He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him. Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone. As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
Chapter 10 of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.”
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
From this reading “But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.”
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading “As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
used in combination to denote the middle
From this reading “A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.”
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading “He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.”
more quickly
From this reading “But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.”
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 “As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.”
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 A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
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 As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
a small worthless amount
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
used in combination to denote the middle
From this reading A BATTLE IN MID–AIR.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
more quickly
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading As the bob–cat hurled itself into the air Jack’s arm shot out.
the season of growth
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
moving very fast
From this reading Swift as a flash he reached down and seized a stone.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He perceived the instant that the creature crouched that its intention was to spring on him.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading But Jack Merrill’s mind never worked quicker or to better effect than in an emergency.
Chapter 10 of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers by John Henry Goldfrap holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 10 holds 95 sentences of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers by John Henry Goldfrap exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 10 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 Border Boys with the Texas Rangers by John Henry Goldfrap on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2740 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49002 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49002, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 548 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Border Boys with the Texas Rangers 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 Border Boys with the Texas Rangers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
