Chapter 14 of On Our Selection is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of On Our Selection is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Our Circus. Dave had been to town and came home full of circus. He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen. He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks. Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
Chapter 14 of On Our Selection is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 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.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “Our Circus.”
with enthusiasm; in an enthusiastic manner
From this reading “He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.”
a document appraising the value of something (as for insurance or taxation)
From this reading “Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.”
past form of “rave” — participate in an all-night techno dance party
From this reading “He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.”
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading “He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.”
plural of “tub” — a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
From this reading “He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.”
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading “He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.”
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading “He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.”
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 He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
next to; at the side of
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading Our Circus.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
with enthusiasm; in an enthusiastic manner
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
a document appraising the value of something (as for insurance or taxation)
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our Circus.
past form of “rave” — participate in an all-night techno dance party
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Dave had been to town and came home full of circus.
plural of “tub” — a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
precisely as stated
From this reading Dave rose very high in Joe's estimation.
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading He talked enthusiastically to Joe about it every day for three weeks.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
during the time that
From this reading He sat on the ground beside the tubs while Mother and Sal were washing, and raved about the riding and the tumbling he had seen.
Chapter 14 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 100 sentences of On Our Selection, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 On Our Selection by Steele Rudd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3677, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 634 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Our Selection section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of On Our Selection 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 On Our Selection, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
