Chapter 13 of Benton's Venture is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Benton's Venture is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later. Willard smiled. “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered. “Perhaps. Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
Chapter 13 of Benton's Venture is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
an army unit large enough to sustain combat
From this reading “Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ““I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.”
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.”
plural of “superintendent” — a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.”
United States advocate of temperance and women's suffrage (1839-1898)
From this reading “Willard smiled.”
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 “PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.”
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 PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
an army unit large enough to sustain combat
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
a form of address for a man
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
by chance
From this reading “Perhaps.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Willard smiled.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
plural of “superintendent” — a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading Division Superintendents are pretty busy persons.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER “Well, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” inquired Mr. Latham as they left the office a few minutes later.
United States advocate of temperance and women's suffrage (1839-1898)
From this reading Willard smiled.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I guess it might have been if you hadn’t helped,” he answered.
Chapter 13 of Benton's Venture by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 170 sentences of Benton's Venture, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Benton's Venture by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Benton's Venture by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5144 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66533 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66533, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 428 minutes of reading across 1029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Benton's Venture section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Benton's Venture 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 Benton's Venture, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
