Chapter XIX of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “A Fruitless Chase,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIX
Chapter XIX of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “A Fruitless Chase,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still. For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them. “Have they skedaddled, Chet?” Dig finally whispered when his chum came near. “No.”
Chapter XIX of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “A Fruitless Chase,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
turn up, loosen, or remove earth
From this reading “Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.”
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.”
the act of grazing
From this reading “For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.”
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
to stimulate to action
From this reading “For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
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 “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
almost do or experience something
In this reading “Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.”
In this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
In this reading “Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.”
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 For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
turn up, loosen, or remove earth
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
the act of grazing
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have they skedaddled, Chet?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
not any; not one
From this reading “No.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
move upward
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Have they skedaddled, Chet?”
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
to stimulate to action
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
not in physical motion
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Have they skedaddled, Chet?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum to keep still.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
at the time that
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Dig finally whispered when his chum came near.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, he feared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
Chapter 19 of The Trail Boys of the Plains by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 19 holds 149 sentences of The Trail Boys of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 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 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 19 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.
