Chapter 21 of The Young Bridge-Tender is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Young Bridge-Tender is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RALPH'S NEW SITUATION. After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it. He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling. Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge. "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
Chapter 21 of The Young Bridge-Tender is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.”
sit or recline comfortably
From this reading “Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “RALPH'S NEW SITUATION.”
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading “After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.”
a shaky motion
From this reading “He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.”
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading “Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
sit or recline comfortably
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading RALPH'S NEW SITUATION.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RALPH'S NEW SITUATION.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
express in words
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading RALPH'S NEW SITUATION.
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
doomed to extinction
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
a shaky motion
From this reading He returned to the sitting-room to find his mother pale and trembling.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
having passed out of existence
From this reading After the squire had vanished Ralph closed the front door and locked it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, Ralph!" was all she could say just then.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Unable to stand, the poor woman had sunk back on the lounge.
Chapter 21 of The Young Bridge-Tender by Edward Stratemeyer holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 21 holds 116 sentences of The Young Bridge-Tender, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Young Bridge-Tender by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 21 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 Young Bridge-Tender by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21344 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21344, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Bridge-Tender section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Young Bridge-Tender 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 Young Bridge-Tender, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
