Chapter 37 of The rival bicyclists 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 XXXVII
Chapter 37 of The rival bicyclists is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR. If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run. At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort. His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable. Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
Chapter 37 of The rival bicyclists 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.
past form of “best” — get the better of
From this reading “At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.”
plural of “contest” — an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading “At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.”
plural of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading “At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.”
not often
From this reading “Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.”
an easy victory
From this reading “A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.”
move hurridly
From this reading “Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.”
In this reading “Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.”
In this reading “His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.”
In this reading “At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.”
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 A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.
past form of “best” — get the better of
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.
plural of “contest” — an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
staying power
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
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 His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
many times at short intervals
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
plural of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
not often
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
unusual or striking
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
an easy victory
From this reading A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.
an educational institution
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
move hurridly
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
a special situation
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
(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 If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.
Chapter 37 of The rival bicyclists by Edward Stratemeyer 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 37 holds 119 sentences of The rival bicyclists, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 of The rival bicyclists by Edward Stratemeyer 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 37 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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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.
