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The Prairie Schooner
The Prairie Schooner

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Francis Hooker • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Prairie Schooner
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.
From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.
A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"
Yes, it was.
Ed Preston was a one-eyed man.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Prairie Schooner

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.
/ðə feɪt ʌv ˌwʌˈnaɪd ed/
Line 2
From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.
Line 3
A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"
Line 4
Yes, it was.
/jes ɪt wɑːz/
Line 5
Ed Preston was a one-eyed man.

Learner Dictionary

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.

awfully adverb US /ˈɑːfli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading “A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Comanche noun US /kəˈmæntʃi/

a member of the Shoshonean people who formerly lived between Wyoming and the Mexican border but are now chiefly in Oklahoma

From this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Massachusetts noun US /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
one-eyed adjective US /ˌwʌˈnaɪd/

having or showing only one eye

From this reading “THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Overland adjective US /ˈoʊvərlænd/

traveling or passing over land

From this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Pacific noun US /pəˈsɪfɪk/

the largest ocean in the world

From this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pole noun US /poʊl/

a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic

From this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
telegraph noun US /ˈteləɡræf/

apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)

From this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

telegraph pole noun + noun

tall pole supporting telephone wires

In this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

474 times in 426,211 chapters
one-eyed man adjective + noun

In this reading “Ed Preston was a one-eyed man.”

298 times in 426,211 chapters
across a bridge preposition + article + noun counted as “across … bridge”

In this reading “From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.”

1,166 times in 426,211 chapters
car window noun + noun

a window in a car

In this reading “A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"”

365 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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.

30

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Pending verification
9

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
awfullyadverbUS /ˈɑːfli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bandnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
burnverbUS /bɜːrn/

To consume or be consumed by fire.

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora curated lexicon
carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ComanchenounUS /kəˈmæntʃi/

a member of the Shoshonean people who formerly lived between Wyoming and the Mexican border but are now chiefly in Oklahoma

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cross-tree

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Pending verification
EDnounUS /ed/

impotence resulting from a man's inability to have or maintain an erection of his penis

From this reading THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enroute

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

Pending verification
exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ExpressverbUS /ɪkˈspres/

give expression to

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FATEnounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Frisco

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

Pending verification
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

Pending verification
hungverbUS /hʌŋ/

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IndiansnounUS /ˈɪndiənz/

plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Yes, it was.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MassachusettsnounUS /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ONE-EYEDadjectiveUS /ˌwʌˈnaɪd/

having or showing only one eye

From this reading THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OverlandadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərlænd/

traveling or passing over land

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PacificnounUS /pəˈsɪfɪk/

the largest ocean in the world

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
polenounUS /poʊl/

a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Preston

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ed Preston was a one-eyed man.

Pending verification
slowadjectiveUS /sloʊ/

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stuckadjectiveUS /stʌk/

caught or fixed

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
telegraphnounUS /ˈteləɡræf/

apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE FATE OF ONE-EYED ED.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnionnounUS /ˈjuːnjən/

an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Yes, it was.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading From the cross-tree of a telegraph pole hung the body of a man when the 9:30 Union Pacific Overland Express stopped for a "slow" order across a bridge that a band of Comanche Indians had tried to burn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading A Massachusetts woman enroute to 'Frisco stuck her head out of a car window and exclaimed, "How awfully terrible!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Yes, it was.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner by William Francis Hooker holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner contain?

Chapter 8 holds 109 sentences of The Prairie Schooner, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner by William Francis Hooker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Prairie Schooner?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

Questions about reading The Prairie Schooner

Common questions about reading The Prairie Schooner by William Francis Hooker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Prairie Schooner?

Yes. All 929 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40497 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Prairie Schooner is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40497, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Prairie Schooner take to read?

About 77 minutes of reading across 186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Prairie Schooner section by section

How to work through The Prairie Schooner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Prairie Schooner to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Prairie Schooner

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Prairie Schooner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Union
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prairie Schooner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pacific
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prairie Schooner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Railroad
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prairie Schooner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Completed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prairie Schooner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.