On the Road With a Circus

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of On the Road With a Circus is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Carter Thompson • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XIII Reading 1/38

On the Road With a Circus William Carter Thompson

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of On the Road With a Circus is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

WITH THE ELEPHANTS “Jumbo was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in the secret that the tremendous success of the animal’s tour was an accident of fortune,” observed our elephant man. “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured. An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him. The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing. The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

On the Road With a Circus

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of On the Road With a Circus is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

/wɪð ðə ˈeləfənts ˈdʒʌmboʊ wɑːz ðə ˈbɪɡəst ˈeləfənt ˈevər ɪn ðɪs ˈkʌntri ənd fjuː ɑːr ɪn ðə ˈsiː.krət ðæt ðə trəˈmendəs səkˈses ʌv ðə ˈænəməlz tʊr wɑːz æn ˈæksədənt ʌv ˈfɔːrtʃən əbˈzɜːrvd ˈaʊər ˈeləfənt mæn/

Line 2

“He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

Line 3

An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

Line 4

The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

Line 5

The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

/ðə biːst hæd bɪn ə pet wɪð ðə ˈtʃɪldrən ɪn ðə ˈlʌndən ˌzuːˈlɑːdʒɪkəl ˈɡɑːrdənz bʌt ðə əˈnaʊnsmənt ʌv hɪz ˈpɜːrtʃəs baɪ əˈmerəkənz wɑːz rəˈsiːvd wɪð noʊ əˈspeʃəl ɪkˈspreʃənz ʌv rəˈɡret/

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.

animal's noun US /ˈænəməlz/

possessive form of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

captivity noun US /kæpˈtɪvəti/

the state of being imprisoned

From this reading “An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.”

elephants noun US /ˈeləfənts/

plural of “elephant” — five-toed pachyderm

From this reading “WITH THE ELEPHANTS “Jumbo was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in the secret that the tremendous success of the animal’s tour was an accident of fortune,” observed our elephant man.”

especial adjective US /əˈspeʃəl/

surpassing what is common or usual or expected

From this reading “The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.”

Jumbo adjective US /ˈdʒʌmboʊ/

of great mass; huge and bulky

securing verb US /sɪˈkjʊrɪŋ/

-ing form of “secure” — get by special effort

From this reading “The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.”

tallest adjective US /ˈtɔːlɪst/

superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading “An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.”

Zoological adjective US /ˌzuːˈlɑːdʒɪkəl/

concerning the study of animals and their classification and properties

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.

two thousand noun + noun

In this reading “The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.”

biggest elephant adjective + noun counted as “big elephant”

In this reading “WITH THE ELEPHANTS “Jumbo was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in the secret that the tremendous success of the animal’s tour was an accident of fortune,” observed our elephant man.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

accidentnounUS /ˈæksədənt/

an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury

From this reading WITH THE ELEPHANTS “Jumbo was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in the secret that the tremendous success of the animal’s tour was an accident of fortune,” observed our elephant man.

AfricanadjectiveUS /ˈæfrəkən/

of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

agentnounUS /ˈeɪdʒənt/

an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

AmericansnounUS /əˈmerəkənz/

plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

animalnounUS /ˈænəməl/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

animal'snounUS /ˈænəməlz/

possessive form of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

anxiousadjectiveUS /ˈæŋkʃəs/

eagerly desirous

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

beastnounUS /biːst/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

biggestadjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡəst/

superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

captivitynounUS /kæpˈtɪvəti/

the state of being imprisoned

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

circusnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəs/

a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

conceptionnounUS /kənˈsepʃən/

an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

elephantnounUS /ˈeləfənt/

five-toed pachyderm

ELEPHANTSnounUS /ˈeləfənts/

plural of “elephant” — five-toed pachyderm

especialadjectiveUS /əˈspeʃəl/

surpassing what is common or usual or expected

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

expressionsnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃənz/

plural of “expression” — the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

GardensnounUS /ˈɡɑːrdənz/

plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

good-naturedadjective

having an easygoing and cheerful disposition

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

JumboadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌmboʊ/

of great mass; huge and bulky

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

money-making

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

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

pachydermnoun

any of various nonruminant hoofed mammals having very thick skin: elephant; rhinoceros; hippopotamus

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

petnounUS /pet/

a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

poundsnounUS /paʊndz/

plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

prizenounUS /praɪz/

something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

purchasenounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəs/

the acquisition of something for payment

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

regretverbUS /rəˈɡret/

feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

salenounUS /seɪl/

a particular instance of selling

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

securingverbUS /sɪˈkjʊrɪŋ/

-ing form of “secure” — get by special effort

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

sellverbUS /sel/

exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

stupidadjectiveUS /ˈstuːpəd/

lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

successnounUS /səkˈses/

an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

tallestadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlɪst/

superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him.

tournounUS /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

tremendousadjectiveUS /trəˈmendəs/

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

ZoologicaladjectiveUS /ˌzuːˈlɑːdʒɪkəl/

concerning the study of animals and their classification and properties

From this reading The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret.

Chapter 13 of On the Road With a Circus by William Carter Thompson holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 13 of On the Road With a Circus contain?

Chapter 13 holds 191 sentences of On the Road With a Circus, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of On the Road With a Circus by William Carter Thompson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 13 of On the Road With a Circus?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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.

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Yes. All 2870 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62113 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #62113, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 239 minutes of reading across 574 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in On the Road With a Circus

Words and structures a reader meets early in On the Road With a Circus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Circus: A word that appears in the opening chapter of On the Road With a Circus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XIII

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