Chapter 1 of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin. "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel. "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light." Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now! None of your tricks!
Chapter 1 of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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 partially opened flower
From this reading “"What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.”
make a sudden movement in a new direction so as to avoid
From this reading “"I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."”
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “"What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.”
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading “Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.”
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “None of your tricks!”
move through by or as by digging
From this reading “"Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.”
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading “"What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.”
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's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
next to; at the side of
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
a partially opened flower
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
someone who is a detective
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
make a sudden movement in a new direction so as to avoid
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
a quad with a square body
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
not one, and not any
From this reading None of your tricks!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading None of your tricks!
move through by or as by digging
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
up to a particular time
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Some one's up there around the tunnel entrance," responded Bud Merkel.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Then, raising his voice, he cried: "Come on, now!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter, Bud?" asked Dick, as he urged his animal forward in a jump, until he was beside his cousin.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading None of your tricks!
Chapter 1 of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail by Willard F. Baker holds 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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 1 holds 67 sentences of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail by Willard F. Baker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 1 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 Ranchers on the Trail by Willard F. Baker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2680 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6573 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6573, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 223 minutes of reading across 536 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Ranchers on the Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Boy Ranchers on the Trail 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 Ranchers on the Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
