Billy To-morrow

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Sarah Pratt Carr • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE The girls worked hard to bower the interior of the Lodge with evergreen; to spread and hang the rugs they had brought; but before their task was finished distant whistles warned Jean.

She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

“Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

The fenced part, I mean.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XIV Reading 1/25

Billy To-morrow

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

/ɪn ðə ˈhɔːntɪd haʊs ðə ɡɜːrlz wɜːrkt hɑːrd tuː ˈbaʊər ðə ˌɪnˈtɪriər ʌv ðə lɑːdʒ wɪð ˈevərɡriːn tuː spred ənd hæŋ ðə rʌɡz ðeɪ hæd brɔːt bʌt bɪˈfɔːr ðer tæsk wɑːz ˈfɪnɪʃt ˈdɪstənt ˈwɪsəlz wɔːrnd dʒiːn/

Line 2

She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

Line 3

And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

/ənd ˈbaʊnsər wæɡd hɪz teɪl ənd ɪn ə ʃɔːrt ʃɑːrp bɑːrk pledʒd hɪmˈself æz ɪf hiː wɜːr ˈhjuːmən/

Line 4

“Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

Line 5

The fenced part, I mean.

/ðə fenst pɑːrt aɪ miːn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Bouncer noun US /ˈbaʊnsər/

a person whose duty is to throw troublemakers out of a bar or public meeting

From this reading “She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.”

evergreen noun US /ˈevərɡriːn/

a plant having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year

From this reading “IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE The girls worked hard to bower the interior of the Lodge with evergreen; to spread and hang the rugs they had brought; but before their task was finished distant whistles warned Jean.”

fenced verb US /fenst/

past form of “fence” — enclose with a fence

From this reading “The fenced part, I mean.”

pledged adjective US /pledʒd/

bound by or as if by an oath

From this reading “And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.”

Potter's noun US /ˈpɑːtərz/

possessive form of “potter” — a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them it a kiln

rugs noun US /rʌɡz/

plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)

wagged verb US /wæɡd/

inflected form of “wag” — move from side to side

From this reading “And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.”

whistles noun US /ˈwɪsəlz/

plural of “whistle” — the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

sharp bark adjective + noun

In this reading “And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.”

HAUNTED HOUSE adjective + noun

In this reading “IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE The girls worked hard to bower the interior of the Lodge with evergreen; to spread and hang the rugs they had brought; but before their task was finished distant whistles warned Jean.”

worked hard verb + adjective counted as “work hard”

go off verb + particle

run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along

In this reading ““Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE The girls worked hard to bower the interior of the Lodge with evergreen; to spread and hang the rugs they had brought; but before their task was finished distant whistles warned Jean.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

barknounUS /bɑːrk/

tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

BouncernounUS /ˈbaʊnsər/

a person whose duty is to throw troublemakers out of a bar or public meeting

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

Bouncer's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

bowernounUS /ˈbaʊər/

a framework that supports climbing plants

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/

of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

evergreennounUS /ˈevərɡriːn/

a plant having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

fencedverbUS /fenst/

past form of “fence” — enclose with a fence

From this reading The fenced part, I mean.

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

hangverbUS /hæŋ/

be suspended or hanging

hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

HAUNTEDadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

HOUSEnounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The fenced part, I mean.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

interioradjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɪriər/

situated within or suitable for inside a building

JeannounUS /dʒiːn/

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

LodgeverbUS /lɑːdʒ/

be a lodger; stay temporarily

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading The fenced part, I mean.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

Nell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

Nell's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading The fenced part, I mean.

pledgedadjectiveUS /pledʒd/

bound by or as if by an oath

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

Potter'snounUS /ˈpɑːtərz/

possessive form of “potter” — a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them it a kiln

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

protectionnounUS /prəˈtekʃən/

the activity of protecting someone or something

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

rugsnounUS /rʌɡz/

plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)

sharpadjectiveUS /ʃɑːrp/

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

spreadverbUS /spred/

distribute or disperse widely

tailnounUS /teɪl/

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

tasknounUS /tæsk/

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

waggedverbUS /wæɡd/

inflected form of “wag” — move from side to side

From this reading And Bouncer wagged his tail, and in a short, sharp bark pledged himself as if he were human.

warnedverbUS /wɔːrnd/

past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading She took Bouncer’s face between her hands and charged him with May Nell’s protection as if he were human.

whistlesnounUS /ˈwɪsəlz/

plural of “whistle” — the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

workedverbUS /wɜːrkt/

past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Don’t go off Mr. Potter’s land, will you, May Nell?

Chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow by Sarah Pratt Carr holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

What does chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow contain?

Chapter 14 holds 126 sentences of Billy To-morrow, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow by Sarah Pratt Carr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of Billy To-morrow?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading Billy To-morrow

Common questions about reading Billy To-morrow by Sarah Pratt Carr on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Billy To-morrow?

Yes. All 2534 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Billy To-morrow is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #62288, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Billy To-morrow take to read?

About 211 minutes of reading across 507 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Open a chapter

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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Billy To-morrow

Words and structures a reader meets early in Billy To-morrow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Billy To-morrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Earthquake: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Billy To-morrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Billy: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Billy To-morrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bennett: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Billy To-morrow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XIV

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