Chapter XXVII of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “Dig’s Great Idea,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVII
Chapter XXVII of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “Dig’s Great Idea,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing. “He was hinting at something. Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet. “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.” “Not at once.”
Chapter XXVII of The Trail Boys of the Plains, “Dig’s Great Idea,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.”
mistake one thing for another
From this reading “Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.”
informal terms for a meal
From this reading ““He said they were not going to Grub Stake.””
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading ““What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.”
-ing form of “hint” — drop a hint; intimate by a hint
From this reading ““He was hinting at something.”
(law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive
From this reading ““What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.”
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading ““He said they were not going to Grub Stake.””
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading ““Not at once.””
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “He was hinting at something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
mistake one thing for another
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
the act of departing
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
informal terms for a meal
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He was hinting at something.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
-ing form of “hint” — drop a hint; intimate by a hint
From this reading “He was hinting at something.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
(law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
on one occasion
From this reading “Not at once.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “He was hinting at something.
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “He said they were not going to Grub Stake.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Whether he meant to help us, or confuse us, I do not know,” confessed Chet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you reckon that nuisance meant?” demanded Digby Fordham the minute Tony Traddles was out of hearing.
Chapter 27 of The Trail Boys of the Plains by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 27 holds 170 sentences of The Trail Boys of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 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 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 27 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.
