Chapter 20 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS. “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance. “Got the sack, didn’t you? You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?” “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 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.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
well known or easily recognized
From this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?””
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading ““Got the sack, didn’t you?”
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading “BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
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 “BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.”
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
In this reading ““Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.”
In this reading ““Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.”
In this reading ““Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Got the sack, didn’t you?
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Got the sack, didn’t you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
information about recent and important events
From this reading BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “Got the sack, didn’t you?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.
in the near future
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading BOB HEARS SOME STARTLING NEWS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “Hallo, Art!” exclaimed the errand-boy, as soon as he came within speaking distance.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Got the sack, didn’t you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re out looking for another job, ain’t you?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Look here, young man,” said Arthur, with some dignity in his tones, “you are quite too familiar, if you did but know it.
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 119 sentences of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of Lost River Canyon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon 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 of Lost River Canyon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
