Chapter 12 of Finkler's Field is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Finkler's Field is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off. Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof. Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously. Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside. Mr. Talcott watched a moment.
Chapter 12 of Finkler's Field is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading “Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.”
(baseball) the batter's attempt to get on base
From this reading “THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.”
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading “Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.”
flowing profusely
From this reading “Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.”
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.
as supposed or expected
In this reading “Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.”
come into existence; take on form or shape
In this reading “Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.”
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 Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
(baseball) the batter's attempt to get on base
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
set up or found
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
bringing a charge or accusation against someone
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
a particular point in time
From this reading Mr. Talcott watched a moment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
flowing profusely
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
a particular situation
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
a momentary flash of light
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
with laces not tied
From this reading THE BATTING LIST Mr. Talcott stooped, unlaced his shoes and kicked them off.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he sprang up the ladder and joined the boys on the barn roof.
in a very malevolent manner
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Mr. Talcott watched a moment.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Doubtless a stray spark had found lodgment there and had eaten its way through to the hay inside.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sure enough, the flames were pouring through venomously.
Chapter 12 of Finkler's Field by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 12 holds 199 sentences of Finkler's Field, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Finkler's Field by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 12 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 Finkler's Field by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2994 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59136 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59136, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 249 minutes of reading across 599 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Finkler's Field section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Finkler's Field 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 Finkler's Field, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
