Chapter 9 of Andy the Acrobat 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 IX
Chapter 9 of Andy the Acrobat is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation. The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest. "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley. He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly. "Twenty dollars?"
Chapter 9 of Andy the Acrobat 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.
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading “A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.”
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.”
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading “The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.”
past form of “prick” — make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn
From this reading “A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.”
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading “He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.”
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.”
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 FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "Twenty dollars?"
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
a boy or man
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
past form of “prick” — make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He had drawn something from his pocket, evidently a roll of bills, for as he extended it Murdock said eagerly.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The jubilant statement of the fellow called Murdock did not sound honest.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading "Twenty dollars?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A FIRST APPEARANCE Andy pricked up his ears with a good deal of animation.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm taking your word for it," spoke Daley.
Chapter 9 of Andy the Acrobat by Peter T. Harkness 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 9 holds 133 sentences of Andy the Acrobat, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Andy the Acrobat by Peter T. Harkness 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 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.
Common questions about reading Andy the Acrobat by Peter T. Harkness on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4172 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10396 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10396, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Andy the Acrobat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Andy the Acrobat 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 Andy the Acrobat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
