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Kid Scanlan
Kid Scanlan

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Kid Scanlan is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Kid Scanlan
Context Illustration Reading 1/110 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.
H. C. W.
Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!
Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!
A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.
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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.

Kid Scanlan

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Kid Scanlan is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/110 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.
Line 2
H. C. W.
/eɪtʃ siː ˈdʌbəljuː/
Line 3
Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!
Line 4
Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!
Line 5
A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.
/ə ˈkɑːlɪdʒ prəˈfesər ɡets faɪv ˈθaʊzənd ə jɪr ə ɡʊd ˈlaɪˈtweɪt wɪl ɡræb ðæt mʌtʃ ə faɪt/

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.

bone noun US /boʊn/

rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

From this reading “Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!”

Brains noun US /breɪnz/

plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading “Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!”

grab verb US /ɡræb/

take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

From this reading “A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.”

guys noun US /ɡaɪz/

plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man

From this reading “Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!”

leather noun US /ˈleðər/

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

From this reading “THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.”

lightweight noun US /ˈlaɪˈtweɪt/

a professional boxer who weighs between 131 and 135 pounds

From this reading “A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.”

nailed verb US /neɪld/

past form of “nail” — attach something somewhere by means of nails

From this reading “Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!”

pushers noun US /ˈpʊʃərz/

plural of “pusher” — one who intrudes or pushes himself forward

From this reading “THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.”

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.

five thousand noun + noun

In this reading “A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.”

college professor noun + noun

In this reading “A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.”

FIGHTING BLOOD noun + noun

In this reading “THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.”

goes through verb + particle counted as “go through”

undergo or live through a difficult experience

In this reading “Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!”

great things adjective + noun

In this reading “Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!”

through life preposition + noun

In this reading “Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!”

All words in this reading · 70

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 Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

BLOODnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

bonenounUS /boʊn/

rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

BrainsnounUS /breɪnz/

plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

CnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading H. C. W.

collegenounUS /ˈkɑːlɪdʒ/

the body of faculty and students of a college

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

ETC

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

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

fightverbUS /faɪt/

be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

FIGHTINGnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

getsnounUS /ɡets/

plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

goesnounUS /ɡoʊz/

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

grabverbUS /ɡræb/

take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

guysnounUS /ɡaɪz/

plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

HnounUS /eɪtʃ/

a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe

From this reading H. C. W.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

I've

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

insteadadverbUS /ˌɪnˈsted/

in place of, or as an alternative to

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

LEATHERnounUS /ˈleðər/

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

lightweightnounUS /ˈlaɪˈtweɪt/

a professional boxer who weighs between 131 and 135 pounds

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

many's

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

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

nailedverbUS /neɪld/

past form of “nail” — attach something somewhere by means of nails

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

nothin

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

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

plainadjectiveUS /pleɪn/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

professornounUS /prəˈfesər/

someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

PUSHERSnounUS /ˈpʊʃərz/

plural of “pusher” — one who intrudes or pushes himself forward

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

StilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE LEATHER PUSHERS, FIGHTING BLOOD, ETC.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

they's

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

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

From this reading H. C. W.

wasn't

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

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading Brains is great things to have, and many's the time I've wished I had a set of 'em in _my_ head instead of just plain bone!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading A college professor gets five thousand a year, a good lightweight will grab that much a fight.

yegg

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

From this reading Still they's a lot of guys which has gone through life like a yegg goes through a safe, and taken everything out of it that wasn't nailed, with nothin' in their head but hair!

Chapter 1 of Kid Scanlan by H. C. (Harry Charles) Witwer holds 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 1 of Kid Scanlan contain?

Chapter 1 holds 551 sentences of Kid Scanlan, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Kid Scanlan by H. C. (Harry Charles) Witwer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 1 of Kid Scanlan?

Work through the 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 111 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Kid Scanlan

Common questions about reading Kid Scanlan by H. C. (Harry Charles) Witwer on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Kid Scanlan?

Yes. All 4249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29764 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Kid Scanlan is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #29764, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Kid Scanlan take to read?

About 354 minutes of reading across 850 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Kid Scanlan section by section

How to work through Kid Scanlan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of Kid Scanlan 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 Kid Scanlan

Words and structures a reader meets early in Kid Scanlan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Leather
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kid Scanlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pushers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kid Scanlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fighting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kid Scanlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Kid Scanlan; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.