Chapter 8 of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he. "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start." The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head. "Aw, what's the use?" said he irritably. "What's the use?"
Chapter 8 of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 “actor” — a theatrical performer
From this reading “"Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."”
preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure and especially games of chance
From this reading “The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “"Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."”
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading “"You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “"Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.”
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."”
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've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
plural of “actor” — a theatrical performer
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
anew
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aw, what's the use?" said he irritably.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure and especially games of chance
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
in a petulant manner
From this reading "Aw, what's the use?" said he irritably.
tell false information to for fun
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The Kid looked again at the betting ring; then he shook his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mebbe more; there's some bad actors in that bunch, and they'll delay the start."
the act of using
From this reading "Aw, what's the use?" said he irritably.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aw, what's the use?" said he irritably.
but in spite of that
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've got a couple of minutes yet," said he.
Chapter 8 of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories by Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 8 holds 440 sentences of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories by Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 8 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 Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories by Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 396 minutes of reading across 952 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories 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 Old Man Curry: Race Track Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
