Chapter 2 of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs. Something metallic bumped and banged. A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard! Post Number Three!” The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
Chapter 2 of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
go together
From this reading “The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.”
past form of “bang” — strike violently
From this reading “Something metallic bumped and banged.”
past form of “bump” — knock against with force or violence
From this reading “Something metallic bumped and banged.”
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading “A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!”
plural of “cot” — a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading “The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.”
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading “Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.”
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading “Something metallic bumped and banged.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.”
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.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!”
In this reading “The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.”
close in space; within reach
In this reading “Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.”
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 A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
having companions or an escort
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
go together
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Something metallic bumped and banged.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
past form of “bang” — strike violently
From this reading Something metallic bumped and banged.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
past form of “bump” — knock against with force or violence
From this reading Something metallic bumped and banged.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
clothing in general
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
plural of “cot” — a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading Something metallic bumped and banged.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Post Number Three!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading Post Number Three!”
with speed
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something metallic bumped and banged.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Post Number Three!”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A voice called out: “Corporal of the guard!
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading Close at hand the sound of rapidly turning wheels reached their ears, accompanied by the beat of horses’ hoofs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The boys jumped from their cots with one accord, reaching for their clothes.
Chapter 2 of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol by Capwell Wyckoff holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 2 holds 461 sentences of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol by Capwell Wyckoff exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 2 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 Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol by Capwell Wyckoff on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2749 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 229 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol 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 Mercer Boys in the Ghost Patrol, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
