Chapter 2 of The Secret Trails is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Secret Trails is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell. A bullet had smashed one of his legs. He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb. But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him. Three dropped on the way out.
Chapter 2 of The Secret Trails is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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 projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading “A bullet had smashed one of his legs.”
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
From this reading “Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.”
past form of “hobble” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.”
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.”
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading “He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.”
very drunk
From this reading “A bullet had smashed one of his legs.”
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading “He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.”
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 “Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.”
In this reading “Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.”
In this reading “Three dropped on the way out.”
on a route to some place
In this reading “Three dropped on the way out.”
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 bullet had smashed one of his legs.
anew
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Three dropped on the way out.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
past form of “hobble” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
staying power
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
a particular point in time
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Three dropped on the way out.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
free from harm or evil
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
very drunk
From this reading A bullet had smashed one of his legs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three dropped on the way out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the moment he fell, a score of riflemen had leapt from their lines and dashed out to rescue him.
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He picked himself up again instantly and hobbled forward, trailing the mangled limb.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Three dropped on the way out.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Then, within fifty yards of the goal, he fell.
Chapter 2 of The Secret Trails by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts holds 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 2 holds 482 sentences of The Secret Trails, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret Trails by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 2 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 Secret Trails by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1910 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34454, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 382 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Trails section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Secret Trails 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 Secret Trails, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
