Chapter 18 of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong. The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp. "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe. "Positive." "And that I get out that way?"
Chapter 18 of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading “JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.”
the act of rearranging things to give a misleading impression
From this reading “JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “"You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “"Positive."”
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading “"You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.”
with smiles; in a smiling manner
From this reading “JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.”
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 "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And that I get out that way?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
a boy or man
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
start firing a weapon
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "And that I get out that way?"
hold firmly
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And that I get out that way?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
the act of rearranging things to give a misleading impression
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "And that I get out that way?"
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading "Positive."
express in words
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The fellow seemed already to have the money in his grasp.
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
with smiles; in a smiling manner
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "And that I get out that way?"
which person or people
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
in the company of; together with
From this reading JUGGLING WITH FIRE Smilingly the man who had made claim to the ten thousand dollars waited for Joe Strong.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You say there is a sliding panel in that corner?" asked Joe.
Chapter 18 of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater by Vance Barnum holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 18 holds 103 sentences of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater by Vance Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 18 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 the Boy Fire-Eater by Vance Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3160 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10579 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10579, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 263 minutes of reading across 632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater 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 the Boy Fire-Eater, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
