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The Young Train Dispatcher
The Young Train Dispatcher

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Burton Egbert Stevenson • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Young Train Dispatcher
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.
"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.
"There, there, lay still," she said.
"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.
"Am I hurt?" he asked.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Young Train Dispatcher

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.
Line 2
"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.
/ɪz ɪt taɪm tuː ɡet ʌp hiː æskt ənd traɪd tuː raɪz bʌt ˈmeri prest hɪm ˈdʒentli bæk əˈɡenst ðə ˈpɪloʊ/
Line 3
"There, there, lay still," she said.
/ðer ðer leɪ stɪl ʃiː sed/
Line 4
"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.
Line 5
"Am I hurt?" he asked.
/æm aɪ hɜːrt hiː æskt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

flash verb US /flæʃ/

gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading “"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gruesome adjective US /ˈɡruːsəm/

shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

From this reading “A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
kindly adjective US /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading “A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
occurred verb US /əˈkɜːrd/

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

From this reading “"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pillow noun US /ˈpɪloʊ/

a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person

From this reading “"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pressed adjective US /prest/

compacted by ironing

From this reading “"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twinge noun US /twɪndʒ/

a sudden sharp feeling

From this reading “"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Welsh noun US /weltʃ/

a native or resident of Wales

From this reading “A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

brought back verb + particle counted as “bring back”

bring back to the point of departure

In this reading “"But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.”

14,512 times in 426,211 chapters
against the pillow preposition + article + noun counted as “against … pillow”

In this reading “"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.”

258 times in 426,211 chapters
get up verb + adjective

rise to one's feet

In this reading “"Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.”

64,969 times in 426,211 chapters
lay still verb + adjective

In this reading “"There, there, lay still," she said.”

3,780 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 57

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Allan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Pending verification
Amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Am I hurt?" he asked.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FINDverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flashverbUS /flæʃ/

gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GRUESOMEadjectiveUS /ˈɡruːsəm/

shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hurtverbUS /hɜːrt/

be the source of pain

From this reading "Am I hurt?" he asked.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Am I hurt?" he asked.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading "There, there, lay still," she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
occurredverbUS /əˈkɜːrd/

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pillownounUS /ˈpɪloʊ/

a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pressedadjectiveUS /prest/

compacted by ironing

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
riseverbUS /raɪz/

move upward

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "There, there, lay still," she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "There, there, lay still," she said.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading "There, there, lay still," she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "There, there, lay still," she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twingenounUS /twɪndʒ/

a sudden sharp feeling

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "Is it time to get up?" he asked, and tried to rise, but Mary pressed him gently back against the pillow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WelshnounUS /weltʃ/

a native or resident of Wales

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "But what," he began--and then a sudden twinge in the side brought back in a flash all that had occurred.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading A GRUESOME FIND When Allan opened his eyes, it was to find the kindly face of Mary Welsh looking down at him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher by Burton Egbert Stevenson holds 167 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.

What does chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher contain?

Chapter 27 holds 167 sentences of The Young Train Dispatcher, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher by Burton Egbert Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 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.

How do I study chapter 27 of The Young Train Dispatcher?

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.

Can chapter 27 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Young Train Dispatcher

Common questions about reading The Young Train Dispatcher by Burton Egbert Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Young Train Dispatcher?

Yes. All 4555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55624 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Young Train Dispatcher is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55624, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Young Train Dispatcher take to read?

About 379 minutes of reading across 911 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Young Train Dispatcher section by section

How to work through The Young Train Dispatcher section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Young Train Dispatcher to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Young Train Dispatcher

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Young Train Dispatcher, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Position
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Young Train Dispatcher; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stretching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Young Train Dispatcher; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Atlantic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Young Train Dispatcher; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seaboard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Young Train Dispatcher; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.