Chapter 14 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FRANK'S ESCAPE. As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry. The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come. The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed: "Back--back there!
Chapter 14 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading “FRANK'S ESCAPE.”
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:”
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading “The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:”
(of sound) set to a certain pitch or key; usually used as a combining form
From this reading “As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.”
communicated in words
From this reading “As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.”
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 Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:”
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 As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Back--back there!
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading FRANK'S ESCAPE.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading FRANK'S ESCAPE.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
a young female
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
the force of workers available
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
(of sound) set to a certain pitch or key; usually used as a combining form
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Back--back there!
push forcefully
From this reading The Mexican girl caught hold of Merry, thrust a pistol into his hand, and hissed:
in the direction of
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
communicated in words
From this reading As the ruffian pitched forward on his face, Gonchita uttered a cry.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The attention of the men was turned toward the point from which the unexpected shot had come.
Chapter 14 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 14 holds 166 sentences of Frank Merriwell's Backers, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 14 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 Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Frank Merriwell's Backers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Frank 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 Frank Merriwell's Backers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
