Chapter 1 of The skeleton scout is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The skeleton scout is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BORDER BLOCK. 17. Ben, the Trapper. 22. Indian Jo, the Guide. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. THE BORDER BLOCK.
Chapter 1 of The skeleton scout is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/1 · 7 reading units · Lines 1–7
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 solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “THE BORDER BLOCK.”
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading “THE BORDER BLOCK.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading “Indian Jo, the Guide.”
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
rock star and drummer for the Beatles (born in 1940)
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
someone who sets traps for animals (usually to obtain their furs)
From this reading “Ben, the Trapper.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
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 “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
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 17.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 22.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben, the Trapper.
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading THE BORDER BLOCK.
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading THE BORDER BLOCK.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading Indian Jo, the Guide.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading Indian Jo, the Guide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Indian Jo, the Guide.
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
rock star and drummer for the Beatles (born in 1940)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BORDER BLOCK.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
someone who sets traps for animals (usually to obtain their furs)
From this reading Ben, the Trapper.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANK STARR & CO., In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Chapter 1 of The skeleton scout by Albert W. Aiken holds 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 7 sentences of The skeleton scout, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The skeleton scout by Albert W. Aiken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 2 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The skeleton scout, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
