Chapter 28 of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?" Sandy began. "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob. "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly. "About one in ten," answered Bob.
Chapter 28 of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.”
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
in a feverish manner
From this reading “"Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.”
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading “Sandy began.”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
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 “"Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.”
reach the point where one should be after a delay
In this reading “CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"”
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 CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "About one in ten," answered Bob.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "About one in ten," answered Bob.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Sandy began.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
in a feverish manner
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "About one in ten," answered Bob.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "About one in ten," answered Bob.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading Sandy began.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "About one in ten," answered Bob.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
in the company of; together with
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CREEPING UP ON THE QUARRY "ISN'T it a shame that we won't be able to catch up with them before dark comes?"
but in spite of that
From this reading "Well, how do we know that yet?" returned Bob.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you really think there's any chance, then?" asked the other, feverishly.
Chapter 28 of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi by St. George Rathborne holds 77 sentences, grouped into 16 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 28 holds 77 sentences of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi by St. George Rathborne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 77 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 28 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 Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi by St. George Rathborne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2835 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46796 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46796, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 236 minutes of reading across 567 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi 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 Pioneer Boys of the Mississippi, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
