Chapter 20 of Billy Bounce is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Billy Bounce is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS. "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was. "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble." And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house. There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
Chapter 20 of Billy Bounce is here in full — 118 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.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “"At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.”
an evil spirit
From this reading “And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.”
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
travel across or pass over
From this reading “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.”
not necessary
From this reading “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
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 “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
In this reading “"But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."”
In this reading “IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.”
In this reading “And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.”
In this reading “There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.”
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 "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
anew
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
an evil spirit
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
travel across or pass over
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
absence of light or illumination
From this reading IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
set up or found
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
immediately past
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading And off he started down the street to find Bogie Man's house.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There did not seem to be a soul on the streets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
a source of difficulty
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
not necessary
From this reading "But I'll never again cross a bridge before I come to it--it makes too much unnecessary trouble."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN THE DARK, NEVER WAS.
at the time that
From this reading "At last!" cried Billy, when he found himself in Never Was.
Chapter 20 of Billy Bounce by W. W. (William Wallace) Denslow holds 118 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 20 holds 118 sentences of Billy Bounce, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Billy Bounce by W. W. (William Wallace) Denslow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 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 20 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 Billy Bounce by W. W. (William Wallace) Denslow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 263 minutes of reading across 633 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Billy Bounce section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Billy Bounce 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 Billy Bounce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
