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The Ransom of Red Chief
The Ransom of Red Chief

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Ransom of Red Chief
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Oh, no,” said Rivington; not at this time of night.
To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.
We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.
It’ll be worth your while.
They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”
0:00 / 0:00
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.

The Ransom of Red Chief

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.
Line 2
To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.
Line 3
We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.
Line 4
It’ll be worth your while.
Line 5
They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

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.

anywhere adverb US /ˈeniwer/

at or in or to any place

From this reading “They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.””

Bowery noun US /ˈbaʊəri/

a street in Manhattan noted for cheap hotels frequented by homeless derelicts

From this reading “To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.”

boys noun US /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading “We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.”

Broadway noun US /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading “To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.”

dialect noun US /ˈdaɪəlekt/

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people

From this reading “They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.””

peculiar adjective US /pəˈkjuːljər/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading “They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.””

typical adjective US /ˈtɪpəkəl/

exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category

From this reading “We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.”

worth noun US /wɜːrθ/

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading “It’ll be worth your while.”

All words in this reading · 55

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 To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

anywhereadverbUS /ˈeniwer/

at or in or to any place

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It’ll be worth your while.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

BowerynounUS /ˈbaʊəri/

a street in Manhattan noted for cheap hotels frequented by homeless derelicts

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

BroadwaynounUS /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

dialectnounUS /ˈdaɪəlekt/

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

else

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

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

haven't

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

It'll

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

From this reading It’ll be worth your while.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

peculiaradjectiveUS /pəˈkjuːljər/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

Rivington

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

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “Oh, no,” said Rivington; “not at this time of night.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

typicaladjectiveUS /ˈtɪpəkəl/

exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

We'll

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

From this reading We’ll look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to talk.

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 To tell the truth, I haven’t been along the Bowery in a long time, but I know it as well as I do Broadway.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading It’ll be worth your while.

won't

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

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

worthnounUS /wɜːrθ/

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading It’ll be worth your while.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading They talk a peculiar dialect that you won’t hear anywhere else on earth.”

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It’ll be worth your while.

Chapter 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief contain?

Chapter 10 holds 423 sentences of The Ransom of Red Chief, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 10 of The Ransom of Red Chief?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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 The Ransom of Red Chief

Common questions about reading The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Ransom of Red Chief?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Ransom of Red Chief is used?

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

How long does The Ransom of Red Chief take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Ransom of Red Chief section by section

How to work through The Ransom of Red Chief section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Ransom of Red Chief

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Ransom of Red Chief, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Ransom of Red Chief, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Ransom of Red Chief, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.