Chapter 14 of King Coal is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of King Coal is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“All right then!” said Hal, quickly. “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned. The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it. The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened. Won’t you do it, Percy?”
Chapter 14 of King Coal is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “boss” — a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading “The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading ““If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “Won’t you do it, Percy?””
like better; value more highly
From this reading ““If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.”
plural of “reporter” — a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.”
plural of “thumb” — the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading “The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
plural of “boss” — a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Won’t you do it, Percy?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading Won’t you do it, Percy?”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
with speed
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
plural of “reporter” — a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “All right then!” said Hal, quickly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
a special situation
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
plural of “thumb” — the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The bosses up at the camp have the reporters under their thumbs, they’ll handle the story any way you want it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won’t you do it, Percy?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If you prefer, you needn’t be mentioned.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The one thing I care about is that you run your car up and see the mine opened.
Chapter 14 of King Coal by Upton Sinclair holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of King Coal, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of King Coal by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 King Coal by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7522, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through King Coal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of King Coal 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 King Coal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
