Chapter 17 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick. "We chanced to be riding by, that is all." "Oh!" The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket. "Are you alone?"
Chapter 17 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading “"We chanced to be riding by, that is all."”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.”
let fall to the ground
From this reading “The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.”
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.”
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading “"We chanced to be riding by, that is all."”
the upper branches and leaves of a tree or other plant
From this reading “A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.”
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 “The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.”
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 SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
(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 "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
Having no one else present.
From this reading "Are you alone?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
any thing at all
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you alone?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
someone who is a detective
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
let fall to the ground
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!"
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man looked relieved and let his hand drop from his pistol pocket.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We chanced to be riding by, that is all."
the upper branches and leaves of a tree or other plant
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A SCENE FROM A TREETOP "I don't know as we want anything of you," said Dick.
Chapter 17 of The Rover Boys on the Plains by Edward Stratemeyer holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 17 holds 125 sentences of The Rover Boys on the Plains, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Rover Boys on the Plains by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 17 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 Rover Boys on the Plains by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4086 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26182 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26182, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 340 minutes of reading across 818 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rover Boys on the Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Rover Boys on the Plains 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 Rover Boys on the Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
