Chapter 21 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say. I wonder how long it is going to last?" The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch. "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick. "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
Chapter 21 of The Rover Boys on the Plains is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.
From this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading “AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.”
slightly wet
From this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations
From this reading “AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.”
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading “"That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
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 “"I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.”
In this reading “The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.”
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 AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
later than; following
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
slightly wet
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
someone who is a detective
From this reading "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
an opposing military force
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
the act of departing
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
immediately past
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
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 I wonder how long it is going to last?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
pierce with many holes
From this reading "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
express in words
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is a riddle to me, Sam," answered Dick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading AN OFFER FROM THE ENEMY "This is a cheerful outlook, I must say.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The question came from Sam, after an hour had been spent in the damp and lonely cell under Red Rock ranch.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I don't think they will let us go in a hurry.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder how long it is going to last?"
Chapter 21 of The Rover Boys on the Plains by Edward Stratemeyer holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 21 holds 147 sentences of The Rover Boys on the Plains, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Rover Boys on the Plains by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 21 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.
