Chapter 31 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE. Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said: "What's the matter? Got one of your cranky fits? If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
Chapter 31 of Ahead of the Show is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
(used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
From this reading “Got one of your cranky fits?”
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading “Got one of your cranky fits?”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."”
in a vicious manner
From this reading “Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:”
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading “Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:”
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
From this reading “A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE.”
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."”
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 “Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:”
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 WOMAN'S VENGEANCE.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
(used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
not any; not one
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
in a vicious manner
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Farley stared at her, scowling savagely, as he said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What's the matter?
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
From this reading A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter?
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If so, you had best not worry me, for I'm in no mood for nonsense."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Got one of your cranky fits?
Chapter 31 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 31 holds 116 sentences of Ahead of the Show, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Ahead of the Show by Fred Thorpe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 31 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.
