Chapter 1 of The Dare Boys of 1776 is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Dare Boys of 1776 is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets. They leaped and danced for joy. They tossed their hats in the air. They shouted and sang. Many wept for joy.
Chapter 1 of The Dare Boys of 1776 is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading “They leaped and danced for joy.”
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “They tossed their hats in the air.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “They leaped and danced for joy.”
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading “They shouted and sang.”
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading “As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “They tossed their hats in the air.”
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “Many wept for joy.”
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 As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading They tossed their hats in the air.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They tossed their hats in the air.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many wept for joy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading They shouted and sang.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading They shouted and sang.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They tossed their hats in the air.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They leaped and danced for joy.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading They tossed their hats in the air.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading As the deep tones of the old bell died away on the evening air a great shout of delight went up from the people on the streets.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading Many wept for joy.
Chapter 1 of The Dare Boys of 1776 by Stephen Angus Douglas Cox holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 176 sentences of The Dare Boys of 1776, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Dare Boys of 1776 by Stephen Angus Douglas Cox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Dare Boys of 1776 by Stephen Angus Douglas Cox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2007 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9112, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dare Boys of 1776 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Dare Boys of 1776, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
