Chapter 4 of The Boy Chums in the Forest is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Boy Chums in the Forest is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LESSON. The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it. Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker. He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank. With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
Chapter 4 of The Boy Chums in the Forest is here in full — 104 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.
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading “The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.”
the side of military or naval formation
From this reading “He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.”
past form of “launch” — set up or found
From this reading “The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.”
the characteristic sounds made by a horse
From this reading “With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.”
more quickly
From this reading “Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.”
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading “He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.”
-ing form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.”
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 LESSON.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
excessively
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
the side of military or naval formation
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
a boy or man
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
past form of “launch” — set up or found
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
a unit of instruction
From this reading A LESSON.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
the characteristic sounds made by a horse
From this reading With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
and nothing more
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
more quickly
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
the season of growth
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading He dug his spur cruelly into his little pony's flank.
successive (without a break)
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
-ing form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The reptile's swaying head had drawn back and the huge snake launched itself forward from its coils straight for the dazed lad only a few feet in front of it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Quick as was its spring, Charley was quicker.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a neigh of pain the animal leaped forward.
Chapter 4 of The Boy Chums in the Forest by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely holds 104 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 4 holds 104 sentences of The Boy Chums in the Forest, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Boy Chums in the Forest by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 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 4 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 Chums in the Forest by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27561 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27561, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Chums in the Forest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Boy Chums in the Forest 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 Chums in the Forest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
