Chapter 4 of The Trail Boys of the Plains is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Trail Boys of the Plains is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham. “This is awful! Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?” “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously. “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Chapter 4 of The Trail Boys of the Plains is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading ““This is awful!”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading ““Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading ““On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.”
in the recent past
From this reading ““_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.”
in a serious manner
From this reading ““Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading ““_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.”
plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body
From this reading “Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?””
plural of “tunnel” — a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars)
From this reading “Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?””
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 ““Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.”
In this reading ““_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.”
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 “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “This is awful!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.
at any time
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is awful!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “On, Chet!” gasped Digby Fordham.
and nothing more
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
in the recent past
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
in a serious manner
From this reading “Not that I ever heard of,” replied his chum seriously.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
in or at that place or location
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is awful!
plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
plural of “tunnel” — a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars)
From this reading Isn’t there any other old mine that touches the Silent Sue’s tunnels?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “_This_ was only a chance, of course; but father spoke of this old mine so recently—” Chet was staring about the opening in the forest.
Chapter 4 of The Trail Boys of the Plains by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 4 holds 199 sentences of The Trail Boys of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Trail Boys of the Plains by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 4 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 Trail Boys of the Plains by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5076 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44078 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44078, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 423 minutes of reading across 1016 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trail Boys of the Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Trail Boys of the Plains 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 Trail Boys of the Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
