Chapter XXXV of Dick Merriwell's Backers, “Was He Sincere?,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXV
Chapter XXXV of Dick Merriwell's Backers, “Was He Sincere?,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest. It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted. One fellow was missing. Kates was reported ill. Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
Chapter XXXV of Dick Merriwell's Backers, “Was He Sincere?,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.”
not able to be found
From this reading “One fellow was missing.”
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading “Kates was reported ill.”
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
activity leading to skilled behavior
From this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
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 “The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.”
In this reading “It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.”
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 The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
a boy or man
From this reading One fellow was missing.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
set up or found
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
depressingly dark
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Kates was reported ill.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kates was reported ill.
not able to be found
From this reading One fellow was missing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One fellow was missing.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading Kates was reported ill.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
activity leading to skilled behavior
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading It was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse them seemed wasted.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest.
Chapter 35 of Dick Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 35 holds 139 sentences of Dick Merriwell's Backers, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 35 of Dick Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 35 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 Dick Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7051 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62930 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62930, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 587 minutes of reading across 1411 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dick Merriwell's Backers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Dick Merriwell's Backers 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 Dick Merriwell's Backers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
