Chapter 17 of The Boy Broker is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Boy Broker is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP. "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door. "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness. "There ain't no way to escape, is there?" "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
Chapter 17 of The Boy Broker is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “"We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.”
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “"What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “"We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.”
enclose with a fence
From this reading “THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.”
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading “"We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “"What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.”
a native or resident of Vermont
From this reading “"We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.”
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 FENCE IN A TRAP.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
enclose with a fence
From this reading THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
not any; not one
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
express a supposition
From this reading "No, I suppose not, if the hall door is locked."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading THE OLD FENCE IN A TRAP.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
a native or resident of Vermont
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "There ain't no way to escape, is there?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What shall we do?" said Bob, with no little alarm, as Herbert Randolph climbed up through the old trap door.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "We must defend ourselves," replied the young Vermonter, with characteristic firmness.
Chapter 17 of The Boy Broker by Frank Andrew Munsey holds 102 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 17 holds 102 sentences of The Boy Broker, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Boy Broker by Frank Andrew Munsey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 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 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 Boy Broker by Frank Andrew Munsey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28887 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28887, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 677 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Broker section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Boy Broker 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 Boy Broker, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
