Chapter 5 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WAY IS PREPARED. "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine. "I don't know," replied John. "He can't be a great ways off. I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
Chapter 5 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “"Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.”
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading “I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “"Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.”
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “"Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “"Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.”
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading “THE WAY IS PREPARED.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “"Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “"He can't be a great ways off.”
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 "He can't be a great ways off.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," replied John.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know," replied John.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE WAY IS PREPARED.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "I don't know," replied John.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," replied John.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading THE WAY IS PREPARED.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know," replied John.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
cut with a saw
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
express a supposition
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WAY IS PREPARED.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE WAY IS PREPARED.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading "He can't be a great ways off.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
at the time that
From this reading I saw him in front of the squire's house when the committee went in."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where do you suppose Thomas is?" said Mrs. Somers, as she glanced at the clock, which indicated half-past nine.
Chapter 5 of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 5 holds 127 sentences of The Soldier Boy, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 5 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 Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3785 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Soldier Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Soldier 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 Soldier Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
