Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
REPAIRING DAMAGES. “What’s that?” Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused. “Say it over again, Alec, please.” “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
aroused to action
From this reading “Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.”
plural of “can” — airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
From this reading ““All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.””
to a great extent or degree
From this reading “Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.”
a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
From this reading “REPAIRING DAMAGES.”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading ““All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.””
-ing form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “REPAIRING DAMAGES.”
plural of “skunk” — a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading ““All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.””
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading ““All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.””
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 “REPAIRING DAMAGES.”
anew
In this reading ““Say it over again, Alec, please.””
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
later than; following
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
anew
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
aroused to action
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
for the reason that
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
plural of “can” — airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
to a great extent or degree
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
From this reading REPAIRING DAMAGES.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
above and across; more than
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
-ing form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading REPAIRING DAMAGES.
express in words
From this reading “Say it over again, Alec, please.”
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
plural of “skunk” — a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What’s that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Hugh demanded hastily as though considerably aroused.
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s that?”
which person or people
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “All our hard work went for nothing, Hugh, because after we left, some miserable skunks,—and we can guess who they must have been,—kicked over the trash cans we’d filled and scattered the stuff all about the park.”
Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement by Robert Shaler holds 105 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 5 holds 105 sentences of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement by Robert Shaler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 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 5 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 Scouts for City Improvement by Robert Shaler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1291 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49338 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49338, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 107 minutes of reading across 259 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Scouts for City Improvement section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Boy Scouts for City Improvement 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 Scouts for City Improvement, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
