Chapter 19 of The rival bicyclists is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The rival bicyclists is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL. The race did not last long. It was a matter of less than half a minute. But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting. Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
Chapter 19 of The rival bicyclists is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.”
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.”
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
propelled violently in a usually narrow stream
From this reading “But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
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 “But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.”
In this reading “LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.”
In this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
In this reading “Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.”
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 It was a matter of less than half a minute.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The race did not last long.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
immediately past
From this reading The race did not last long.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The race did not last long.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The race did not last long.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading LEMUEL AKERS’ GREAT PERIL.
any competition
From this reading The race did not last long.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
propelled violently in a usually narrow stream
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The race did not last long.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a matter of less than half a minute.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But that few seconds showed what Joe could do in the way of spurting.
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading Down the road he came like a rocket, the wheels of his machine seeming to fairly fly through the air.
Chapter 19 of The rival bicyclists by Edward Stratemeyer holds 74 sentences, grouped into 15 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 19 holds 74 sentences of The rival bicyclists, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The rival bicyclists by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 74 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 19 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 rival bicyclists by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The rival bicyclists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The rival bicyclists 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 rival bicyclists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
