Chapter 17 of The Boy Scouts In Russia is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 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 Scouts In Russia is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling. He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was. He was under fire! Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random. He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
Chapter 17 of The Boy Scouts In Russia is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.”
plural of “evil” — morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.”
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading “Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.”
of less size or importance
From this reading “He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.”
plural of “shot” — the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.”
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading “AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.”
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 AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
an opposing military force
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
plural of “evil” — morally objectionable behavior
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He was under fire!
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
of less size or importance
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
above and across; more than
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
plural of “shot” — the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
in or at that place or location
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choose the lesser of two evils.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He was under fire!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He had never heard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was.
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading AN OLD ENEMY Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild and at random.
Chapter 17 of The Boy Scouts In Russia by John Blaine holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 153 sentences of The Boy Scouts In Russia, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Boy Scouts In Russia by John Blaine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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.
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Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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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 In Russia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
