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Frank Merriwell's Backers
Frank Merriwell's Backers

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Frank Merriwell's Backers
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.
Four persons were lost in the mountains.
Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.
All were mounted on broncos.
One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Frank Merriwell's Backers

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.
/lɔːst ɪn ðə ˈmaʊntənz/
Line 2
Four persons were lost in the mountains.
/fɔːr ˈpɜːrsənz wɜːr lɔːst ɪn ðə ˈmaʊntənz/
Line 3
Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.
/θriː ʌv ðem wɜːr jʌŋ men huː wɜːr ˈskersli mɔːr ðæn juːðz/
Line 4
All were mounted on broncos.
/ɔːl wɜːr ˈmaʊntəd ɑːn ˈbrɑːŋkoʊz/
Line 5
One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

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.

broncos noun US /ˈbrɑːŋkoʊz/

plural of “bronco” — an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang

From this reading “All were mounted on broncos.”

chap noun US /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

emphasized adjective US /ˈemfəsaɪzd/

spoken with emphasis

From this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

flirts noun US /flɜːrts/

plural of “flirt” — a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men

From this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

gestures noun US /ˈdʒestʃərz/

plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

From this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

mounted adjective US /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading “All were mounted on broncos.”

odd adjective US /ɑːd/

not divisible by two

From this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

youths noun US /juːðz/

plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading “Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.”

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.

young men adjective + noun

In this reading “Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.”

little gestures adjective + noun counted as “little gesture”

In this reading “One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.”

Four persons noun + noun counted as “four person”

In this reading “Four persons were lost in the mountains.”

scarcely more adverb + adjective

In this reading “Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.”

IN THE MOUNTAINS preposition + article + noun counted as “in … mountain”

In this reading “LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.”

All words in this reading · 44

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 One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 All were mounted on broncos.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

apple-cheeked

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

bright-eyed

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

broncosnounUS /ˈbrɑːŋkoʊz/

plural of “bronco” — an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang

From this reading All were mounted on broncos.

chapnounUS /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

emphasizedadjectiveUS /ˈemfəsaɪzd/

spoken with emphasis

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

flirtsnounUS /flɜːrts/

plural of “flirt” — a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

FournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Four persons were lost in the mountains.

gesturesnounUS /ˈdʒestʃərz/

plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

LOSTadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

MOUNTAINSnounUS /ˈmaʊntənz/

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.

mountedadjectiveUS /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading All were mounted on broncos.

oddadjectiveUS /ɑːd/

not divisible by two

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading All were mounted on broncos.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

peculiaradjectiveUS /pəˈkjuːljər/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

personsnounUS /ˈpɜːrsənz/

plural of “person” — a human being

From this reading Four persons were lost in the mountains.

scarcelyadverbUS /ˈskersli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

talkingnounUS /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/

an exchange of ideas via conversation

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Four persons were lost in the mountains.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading One was a bright-eyed, apple-cheeked chap, who had an odd manner of talking, and who emphasized his words with little gestures and flirts of his hand that were very peculiar.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

youthsnounUS /juːðz/

plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Three of them were young men who were scarcely more than youths.

Chapter 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers contain?

Chapter 13 holds 156 sentences of Frank Merriwell's Backers, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 13 of Frank Merriwell's Backers?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 13 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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 Frank Merriwell's Backers

Common questions about reading Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Frank Merriwell's Backers?

Yes. All 5574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Frank Merriwell's Backers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #39433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Frank Merriwell's Backers take to read?

About 464 minutes of reading across 1115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Frank Merriwell's Backers section by section

How to work through Frank Merriwell's Backers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Frank Merriwell's Backers to begin.

  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 Frank Merriwell's Backers

Words and structures a reader meets early in Frank Merriwell's Backers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Issued
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frank Merriwell's Backers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Every
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frank Merriwell's Backers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Price
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frank Merriwell's Backers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cents
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frank Merriwell's Backers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.