A Son of Courage

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of A Son of Courage is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Archie P. McKishnie • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

"Now that we've got ol' Harry's charm along with my rabbit-foot," Billy was saying, "we ought'a be able to snoop 'round in the ha'nted grove an' even hunt through the house any time we take the notion.

Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

"Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/35

A Son of Courage Archie P. McKishnie

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of A Son of Courage is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme. "Now that we've got ol' Harry's charm along with my rabbit-foot," Billy was saying, "we ought'a be able to snoop 'round in the ha'nted grove an' even hunt through the house any time we take the notion. Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day." "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime." "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

A Son of Courage

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of A Son of Courage is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

Line 2

Line 3

Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

Line 4

"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

Line 5

"Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

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.

darn verb US /dɑːrn/

repair by sewing

From this reading “"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."”

daytime noun US /ˈdeɪtaɪm/

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading “"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."”

menagerie noun US /məˈnædʒəri/

a collection of live animals for study or display

From this reading “MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.”

objected verb US /əbˈdʒektəd/

past form of “object” — express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent

From this reading “"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."”

planning noun US /ˈplænɪŋ/

an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action

From this reading “MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.”

programme noun US /ˈproʊɡræm/

an announcement of the events that will occur as part of a theatrical or sporting event

From this reading “MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.”

snoop verb US /snuːp/

watch, observe, or inquire secretly

From this reading “"Now that we've got ol' Harry's charm along with my rabbit-foot," Billy was saying, "we ought'a be able to snoop 'round in the ha'nted grove an' even hunt through the house any time we take the notion.”

Wilson noun US /ˈwɪlsən/

author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)

From this reading “MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.”

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.

next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.”

in the daytime preposition + article + noun counted as “in … daytime”

In this reading “"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."”

lead the way verb + article + noun counted as “lead … way”

In this reading “"But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."”

get a chance verb + article + noun counted as “get … chance”

In this reading “Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."”

at night preposition + noun

In this reading “"Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?”

any time adjective + noun

In this reading “"Now that we've got ol' Harry's charm along with my rabbit-foot," Billy was saying, "we ought'a be able to snoop 'round in the ha'nted grove an' even hunt through the house any time we take the notion.”

look over verb + particle

In this reading “"Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?”

All words in this reading · 84

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 Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading "Now that we've got ol' Harry's charm along with my rabbit-foot," Billy was saying, "we ought'a be able to snoop 'round in the ha'nted grove an' even hunt through the house any time we take the notion.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

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, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

BillnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

BillynounUS /ˈbɪli/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

chancenounUS /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

charmnounUS /tʃɑːrm/

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

darnverbUS /dɑːrn/

repair by sewing

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

day'snounUS /deɪz/

possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

daylightnounUS /ˈdeɪlaɪt/

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

daytimenounUS /ˈdeɪtaɪm/

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

farmverbUS /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

fieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

ghostnounUS /ɡoʊst/

a mental representation of some haunting experience

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

grovenounUS /ɡroʊv/

a small growth of trees without underbrush

ha'nted

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

Harry's

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

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

huntverbUS /hʌnt/

pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

lay-out

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

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

leadverbUS /led/

take somebody somewhere

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

Maurice

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

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

MaybeadverbUS /ˈmeɪbi/

by chance

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

MENAGERIEnounUS /məˈnædʒəri/

a collection of live animals for study or display

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

MOVINGadjectiveUS /ˈmuːvɪŋ/

in motion

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

notionnounUS /ˈnoʊʃən/

a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

objectedverbUS /əbˈdʒektəd/

past form of “object” — express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

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

ought'a

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

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

planningnounUS /ˈplænɪŋ/

an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

programmenounUS /ˈproʊɡræm/

an announcement of the events that will occur as part of a theatrical or sporting event

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

rabbit-foot

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

rain-drenched

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

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

sayingnounUS /ˈseɪɪŋ/

a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

snoopverbUS /snuːp/

watch, observe, or inquire secretly

stuffnounUS /stʌf/

the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

to-day

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

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

we'll

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

From this reading Maybe we'll get a chance to do it to-day."

we've

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

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well, if we take a look over the place in daylight we'll know the lay-out better at night, won't we?

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

WilsonnounUS /ˈwɪlsən/

author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)

From this reading MOVING THE MENAGERIE Billy and Maurice, taking the short cut to the Wilson farm across the rain-drenched fields next morning, were planning the day's programme.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

won't

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

From this reading "But, darn it all, Bill," Maurice objected, "there won't be no ghost to lead the way to the stuff in the daytime."

Chapter 9 of A Son of Courage by Archie P. McKishnie holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 9 of A Son of Courage contain?

Chapter 9 holds 179 sentences of A Son of Courage, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of A Son of Courage by Archie P. McKishnie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 9 of A Son of Courage?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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 A Son of Courage

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Yes. All 5793 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62278 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #62278, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 482 minutes of reading across 1159 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Son of Courage

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Chapter IX

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