Chapter 39 of Dick Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Dick Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ODDS AGAINST YALE. “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly. “You’ve got to pitch this game. I can’t.” The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
Chapter 39 of Dick Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading ““No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.”
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading ““You’ve got to pitch this game.”
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading “The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.”
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading “THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading ““You’ve got to pitch this game.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.”
a university in Connecticut
From this reading “THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.”
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.
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can’t.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can’t.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
not any; not one
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
the act of using
From this reading “No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived.
a university in Connecticut
From this reading THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ve got to pitch this game.
Chapter 39 of Dick Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish holds 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 39 holds 264 sentences of Dick Merriwell's Backers, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Dick Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 39 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.
