Chapter 23 of A Young Inventor's Pluck is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Young Inventor's Pluck is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right. Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat. Jack’s heart sank within him. "He’s out of reach," he groaned. "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
Chapter 23 of A Young Inventor's Pluck is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 young woman making her debut into society
From this reading “Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.”
fool or hoax
From this reading “"Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."”
plural of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “"Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."”
a large number or amount
From this reading “HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.”
crowded or massed together
From this reading “Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading “Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.”
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading “Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.”
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 “Jack’s heart sank within him.”
In this reading “Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.”
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 Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
a young woman making her debut into society
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
fool or hoax
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
plural of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading "He’s out of reach," he groaned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He’s out of reach," he groaned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He’s out of reach," he groaned.
a large number or amount
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Jack’s heart sank within him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jack’s heart sank within him.
crowded or massed together
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack’s heart sank within him.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
move about in a confused manner
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading "He’s out of reach," he groaned.
precisely, exactly
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Jack’s heart sank within him.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HEAPS OF MONEY Mont was right.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Oh, what fools we were to let him dupe us at the mill."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Far out on the fast-darkening waters of the stream was a small rowboat, with Corrigan at the oars, and poor Deb huddled up on the stern seat.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Jack’s heart sank within him.
Chapter 23 of A Young Inventor's Pluck by Edward Stratemeyer holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 23 holds 133 sentences of A Young Inventor's Pluck, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Young Inventor's Pluck by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 23 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 A Young Inventor's Pluck by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42142, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 648 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Young Inventor's Pluck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of A Young Inventor's Pluck 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 A Young Inventor's Pluck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
