Chapter 23 of Joe Strong on the Trapeze is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Joe Strong on the Trapeze is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds. She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said. She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand. Joe continued to regard them dubiously. "Worthless--my investment worthless?"
Chapter 23 of Joe Strong on the Trapeze is here in full — 169 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.
plural of “certificate” — a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts
From this reading “She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.”
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading “Joe continued to regard them dubiously.”
the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit
From this reading “"Worthless--my investment worthless?"”
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading “She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.”
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading “She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.”
lacking in usefulness or value
From this reading “"Worthless--my investment worthless?"”
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 HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
plural of “certificate” — a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Joe continued to regard them dubiously.
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading Joe continued to regard them dubiously.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit
From this reading "Worthless--my investment worthless?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Worthless--my investment worthless?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading Joe continued to regard them dubiously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading HELEN GOES Helen looked dazed for a few seconds.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She looked at the oil stock certificates in his hand.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Joe continued to regard them dubiously.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Joe continued to regard them dubiously.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She stared at Joe as though she did not understand what he had said.
lacking in usefulness or value
From this reading "Worthless--my investment worthless?"
Chapter 23 of Joe Strong on the Trapeze by Vance Barnum holds 169 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 23 holds 169 sentences of Joe Strong on the Trapeze, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Joe Strong on the Trapeze by Vance Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 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 23 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 Trapeze by Vance Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3577 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28642 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28642, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe Strong on the Trapeze section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Joe Strong on the Trapeze 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 Trapeze, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
