Chapter 29 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD. The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face. "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said. "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al. "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
Chapter 29 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.”
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading “A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “"Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “"My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.”
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading “The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.”
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading “The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.”
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 “The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.”
In this reading “"I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.”
In this reading “"My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"”
In this reading “The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.”
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 DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.
at or in the front
From this reading A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
a man of refinement
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading A DANGEROUS JOB AHEAD.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, you can't have forgotten me, Mr. Ferguson," said Al.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
To recall to mind.
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
create by training and teaching
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The reverend gentleman started; a decidedly uneasy expression appeared upon his face.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "My name is Allston; don't you remember the interesting conversation we had on the train this morning?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "I don't know you, young gentleman," he said.
Chapter 29 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 29 holds 109 sentences of Ahead of the Show, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 29 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.
