Chapter 1 of The Short Line War is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Short Line War is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was Monday morning, September 23d. The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver. “Hello! Oh, that you, Fox? Yes--Yes.
Chapter 1 of The Short Line War is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello!”
wood of any of various mahogany trees; much used for cabinetwork and furniture
From this reading “The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “It was Monday morning, September 23d.”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.”
-ing form of “scrutinize” — to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
From this reading “The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “It was Monday morning, September 23d.”
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Oh, that you, Fox?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
set down according to a plan
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
wood of any of various mahogany trees; much used for cabinetwork and furniture
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, that you, Fox?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
-ing form of “scrutinize” — to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Oh, that you, Fox?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
two times
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Monday morning, September 23d.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The telephone bell on the big mahogany desk rang twice before Jim Weeks laid down the sheet of paper he was scrutinizing and picked up the receiver.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes--Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh, that you, Fox?
Chapter 1 of The Short Line War by Samuel Merwin holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 1 holds 221 sentences of The Short Line War, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Short Line War by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 1 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 Short Line War by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4113 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8385 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8385, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 823 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Short Line War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Short Line War 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 Short Line War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
