Chapter 5 of Joe Strong on the high wire is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Joe Strong on the high wire is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello! What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend. "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician. "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown. "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
Chapter 5 of Joe Strong on the high wire is here in full — 168 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “"Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.”
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading “RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello!”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “"Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello!”
moving with great haste
From this reading “What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “"Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “"Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.”
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 “"Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.”
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 "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello!
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
an expression of greeting
From this reading RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
moving with great haste
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
and nothing more
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
a form of address for a man
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
above and across; more than
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
on the contrary
From this reading RATHER DUBIOUS "Hello!
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
in the near future
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Is he----" He looked in alarm at the physician.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Merely a faint from the shock, I think," pronounced Dr. Brown.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "I had better get him to my house as soon as I can, though."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading What's wrong?" cried Mr. Craige, hurrying over to his friend.
Chapter 5 of Joe Strong on the high wire by Vance Barnum holds 168 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 5 holds 168 sentences of Joe Strong on the high wire, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Joe Strong on the high wire by Vance Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 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 5 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 Joe Strong on the high wire by Vance Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3264 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76025 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76025, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 653 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe Strong on the high wire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Joe Strong on the high wire 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 Joe Strong on the high wire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
