The Boy Scouts on the Trail

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George Durston • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

TO THE FRONT There was real news to be gleaned from these unfortunates who came into the station at Amiens soon after the boys took their places there with some of the other scouts of the troop.

Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

They told of how the Germans had come.

First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

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Chapter V Reading 1/29

The Boy Scouts on the Trail George Durston

Chapter V

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

TO THE FRONT There was real news to be gleaned from these unfortunates who came into the station at Amiens soon after the boys took their places there with some of the other scouts of the troop. Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied. And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed. They told of how the Germans had come. First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

The Boy Scouts on the Trail

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

TO THE FRONT There was real news to be gleaned from these unfortunates who came into the station at Amiens soon after the boys took their places there with some of the other scouts of the troop.

Line 2

Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

Line 3

And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

/ənd ðeɪ wɜːr ˈwɪlɪŋ tuː tɔːk mɔːr ðæn ˈwɪlɪŋ ˌɪnˈdiːd/

Line 4

They told of how the Germans had come.

Line 5

First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

Learner Dictionary

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.

cars noun US /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.”

freight noun US /freɪt/

goods carried by a large vehicle

From this reading “Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.”

Germans noun US /ˈdʒɜːrmənz/

plural of “german” — a person of German nationality

From this reading “They told of how the Germans had come.”

gleaned verb US /ɡliːnd/

past form of “glean” — gather, as of natural products

From this reading “TO THE FRONT There was real news to be gleaned from these unfortunates who came into the station at Amiens soon after the boys took their places there with some of the other scouts of the troop.”

inhabitants noun US /ɪnˈhæbətənts/

plural of “inhabitant” — a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading “First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.”

scouts noun US /skaʊts/

plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

troop noun US /truːp/

a group of soldiers

unfortunates noun US /ənˈfɔːrtʃənəts/

plural of “unfortunate” — a person who suffers misfortune

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading TO THE FRONT There was real news to be gleaned from these unfortunates who came into the station at Amiens soon after the boys took their places there with some of the other scouts of the troop.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

Amiens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

carsnounUS /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading They told of how the Germans had come.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

freightnounUS /freɪt/

goods carried by a large vehicle

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

FRONTnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

GermansnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmənz/

plural of “german” — a person of German nationality

From this reading They told of how the Germans had come.

gleanedverbUS /ɡliːnd/

past form of “glean” — gather, as of natural products

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They told of how the Germans had come.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They told of how the Germans had come.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

inhabitantsnounUS /ɪnˈhæbətənts/

plural of “inhabitant” — a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

mainadjectiveUS /meɪn/

most important element

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

placesnounUS /ˈpleɪsəz/

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

pouredverbUS /pɔːrd/

past form of “pour” — cause to run

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

realadjectiveUS /riːl/

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

ridingnounUS /ˈraɪdɪŋ/

the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

rulenounUS /ruːl/

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

scoutsnounUS /skaʊts/

plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

stationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading They told of how the Germans had come.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

troopnounUS /truːp/

a group of soldiers

Uhlans

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading First the Uhlans riding through, stern and silent, willing to leave the inhabitants alone, as a rule, if they themselves were let alone.

unfortunatesnounUS /ənˈfɔːrtʃənəts/

plural of “unfortunate” — a person who suffers misfortune

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

willingadjectiveUS /ˈwɪlɪŋ/

disposed or inclined toward

From this reading And they were willing to talk; more than willing, indeed.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

WomennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Women, children and old men--not a young man was among them, of course--they poured from the freight cars that in the main they occupied.

Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail by George Durston holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail contain?

Chapter 5 holds 145 sentences of The Boy Scouts on the Trail, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail by George Durston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts on the Trail?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Boy Scouts on the Trail

Common questions about reading The Boy Scouts on the Trail by George Durston on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Boy Scouts on the Trail?

Yes. All 2974 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20327 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Boy Scouts on the Trail is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20327, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Boy Scouts on the Trail take to read?

About 247 minutes of reading across 595 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Boy Scouts on the Trail

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Boy Scouts on the Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Those: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts on the Trail; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Country: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts on the Trail; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter V · Chapter 5

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