Chapter 4 of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“QUIPU BILL” Romance! Adventure. To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words. Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before. But the memory was there among the ruins.
Chapter 4 of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading “Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.”
a steep high face of rock
From this reading “To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.”
the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading “To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.”
a ruler of the Incas (or a member of his family)
From this reading “To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.”
plural of “invader” — someone who enters by force in order to conquer
From this reading “Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.”
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “But the memory was there among the ruins.”
having only essential or minimal features
From this reading “Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.”
plural of “treasure” — accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading “Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.”
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.
In this reading “To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.”
In this reading “But the memory was there among the ruins.”
In this reading “To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.”
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.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading Adventure.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading But the memory was there among the ruins.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “QUIPU BILL” Romance!
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the memory was there among the ruins.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
a town in the Andes in southern Peru; formerly the capital of the Inca empire
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
a ruler of the Incas (or a member of his family)
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
plural of “invader” — someone who enters by force in order to conquer
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading But the memory was there among the ruins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
calculator consisting of a cord with attached cords; used by ancient Peruvians for calculating and keeping records
From this reading “QUIPU BILL” Romance!
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “QUIPU BILL” Romance!
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading But the memory was there among the ruins.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
having only essential or minimal features
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But the memory was there among the ruins.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
male cat
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
plural of “treasure” — accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
at the time that
From this reading Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before.
the words that are spoken
From this reading To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of the Inca empire was built on those two words.
Chapter 4 of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold by Van Powell holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 holds 115 sentences of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold by Van Powell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 4 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 Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold by Van Powell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52683, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold 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 Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
