Chapter 13 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A STROKE OF LUCK. "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent. "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly. "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it." "Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.
Chapter 13 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading “"Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.”
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading “"Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.”
a quantity of money
From this reading “"The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “A STROKE OF LUCK.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “"Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.”
by chance
From this reading “"Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “A STROKE OF LUCK.”
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading “"The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."”
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.
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 A STROKE OF LUCK.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
From this reading "Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.
a quantity of money
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading A STROKE OF LUCK.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
not any; not one
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STROKE OF LUCK.
in a petulant manner
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
with low volume
From this reading "Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Everything possible has been done," returned the manager, pettishly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading A STROKE OF LUCK.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Maybe there is," said Al, quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
a special situation
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "The amount of the thing is that we have struck an unlucky night, and there's no help for it."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Something has got to be done," said the young advance agent.
Chapter 13 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 13 holds 114 sentences of Ahead of the Show, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 13 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 Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39454, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 290 minutes of reading across 699 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ahead of the Show section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Ahead of the Show 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 Ahead of the Show, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
