Chapter 20 of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter 20 of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire. “See those two bright spots? Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?” Cliff moved his head upward very gently. Tom, likewise, stared.
Chapter 20 of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a small outdoor fire for warmth or cooking (as at a camp)
From this reading “TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.”
showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on
From this reading “TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.”
a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis
From this reading “TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.”
possessive form of “jaguar” — a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading “TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.”
spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
From this reading ““See those two bright spots?”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.”
directed up
From this reading “Cliff moved his head upward very gently.”
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 ““See those two bright spots?”
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 TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “See those two bright spots?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
a small outdoor fire for warmth or cooking (as at a camp)
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Cliff moved his head upward very gently.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Cliff moved his head upward very gently.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
possessive form of “jaguar” — a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
in like or similar manner
From this reading Tom, likewise, stared.
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Cliff moved his head upward very gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “See those two bright spots?
spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
From this reading “See those two bright spots?
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Tom, likewise, stared.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “See those two bright spots?
male cat
From this reading Tom, likewise, stared.
in the direction of
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “See those two bright spots?
directed up
From this reading Cliff moved his head upward very gently.
precisely as stated
From this reading Cliff moved his head upward very gently.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading TRAILED BY A JAGUAR “Look, Cliff,” whispered Nicky, directing his comrade’s attention toward a limb not far above their campfire.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are they a jaguar’s eyes, do you think?”
Chapter 20 of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun by Van Powell holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 20 holds 137 sentences of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun by Van Powell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 20 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 Secret of the Golden Sun by Van Powell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3612 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58420 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58420, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Mystery Boys and the Secret of the Golden Sun 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 Secret of the Golden Sun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
