Chapter 23 of The Scientific American Boy is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Scientific American Boy is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GRAVITY RAILROAD. "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad." "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder. We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't. "I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."
Chapter 23 of The Scientific American Boy is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
possessive form of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “"Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “"About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."”
(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
From this reading “THE GRAVITY RAILROAD.”
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading “We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “THE GRAVITY RAILROAD.”
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading “"Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.”
travel by means of steam power
From this reading “"I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."”
a mill that is powered by the wind
From this reading “"About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."”
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 "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
(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 "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
possessive form of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
From this reading THE GRAVITY RAILROAD.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading THE GRAVITY RAILROAD.
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
travel by means of steam power
From this reading "I don't mean a steam railroad," he said, "but a gravity railroad."
express a supposition
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GRAVITY RAILROAD.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Then suppose we build one," was Bill's unexpected rejoinder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We all thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
at the time that
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
a mill that is powered by the wind
From this reading "About all we lack now," said Dutchy, when the windmill had been completed, "is a railroad."
Chapter 23 of The Scientific American Boy by A. Russell (Alexander Russell) Bond holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 23 holds 94 sentences of The Scientific American Boy, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Scientific American Boy by A. Russell (Alexander Russell) Bond exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 23 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 Scientific American Boy by A. Russell (Alexander Russell) Bond on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15831 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15831, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 528 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Scientific American Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Scientific American Boy 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 Scientific American Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
