Chapter 1 of The Iron Boys as Foremen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Iron Boys as Foremen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc. "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush. "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening. "I don't hear it coming." "Ring it down, Bob."
Chapter 1 of The Iron Boys as Foremen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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 “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.”
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “"WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “"I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.”
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading “"I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.”
plural of “mine” — excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extracted
From this reading “Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.”
a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
From this reading “Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.”
move hurridly
From this reading “"WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.”
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading “"I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.”
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.
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 "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "I don't hear it coming."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't hear it coming."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Ring it down, Bob."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I don't hear it coming."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I don't hear it coming."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
plural of “mine” — excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extracted
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading "Ring it down, Bob."
move hurridly
From this reading "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats, etc.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "I guess it's waiting for a load at the surface," answered Bob Jarvis, listening at the shaft opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WHERE'S the cage?" asked Steve Rush.
Chapter 1 of The Iron Boys as Foremen by James R. Mears holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 243 sentences of The Iron Boys as Foremen, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Iron Boys as Foremen by James R. Mears exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Iron Boys as Foremen by James R. Mears on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Iron Boys as Foremen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Iron Boys as Foremen 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 Iron Boys as Foremen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
