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On With Torchy
On With Torchy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of On With Torchy is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for On With Torchy
Context Illustration Reading 1/66 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.
Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?
Why, thinkin' you are.
Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.
"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.
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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.

On With Torchy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of On With Torchy is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/66 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.
Line 2
Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?
Line 3
Why, thinkin' you are.
Line 4
Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.
Line 5
"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

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.

accidental adjective US /ˌæksəˈdentəl/

happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally

From this reading “"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.”

Broadway noun US /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading “"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.”

chat verb US /tʃæt/

talk socially without exchanging too much information

From this reading “Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.”

Hail verb US /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading “"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.”

meets noun US /miːts/

plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held

From this reading “"Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.”

nugget noun US /ˈnʌɡɪt/

a solid lump of a precious metal (especially gold) as found in the earth

From this reading “Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.”

panned verb US /pænd/

inflected form of “pan” — make a sweeping movement

From this reading “Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.”

sheet noun US /ʃiːt/

any broad thin expanse or surface

From this reading “Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.”

All words in this reading · 60

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 Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

accidentaladjectiveUS /ˌæksəˈdentəl/

happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Why, thinkin' you are.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

BroadwaynounUS /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

chatverbUS /tʃæt/

talk socially without exchanging too much information

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

durin

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

ETC

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

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

HailverbUS /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

knowin

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

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

meetsnounUS /miːts/

plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

nuggetnounUS /ˈnʌɡɪt/

a solid lump of a precious metal (especially gold) as found in the earth

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

NUMBERSnounUS /ˈnʌmbərz/

the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

ODDadjectiveUS /ɑːd/

not divisible by two

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

OUTadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

pannedverbUS /pænd/

inflected form of “pan” — make a sweeping movement

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

Quinn

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

SayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

sheetnounUS /ʃiːt/

any broad thin expanse or surface

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

thinkin

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

From this reading Why, thinkin' you are.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

TORCHY

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

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

TRYINGadjectiveUS /ˈtraɪɪŋ/

hard to endure

From this reading TORCHY, TRYING OUT TORCHY, ODD NUMBERS, ETC., ETC.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Hail, Torchy!" says he, as we meets accidental on Broadway.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

what's

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

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

WhichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why, thinkin' you are.

wisdomnounUS /ˈwɪzdəm/

accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Which is a little nugget of wisdom I panned out durin' a chat I had not long ago with Mr. Quinn, that I used to work under when I was on the door of the Sunday sheet, three or four years back.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Why, thinkin' you are.

you're

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

From this reading Say, what's next to knowin' when you're well off?

Chapter 1 of On With Torchy by Sewell Ford holds 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 On With Torchy contain?

Chapter 1 holds 331 sentences of On With Torchy, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of On With Torchy by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 On With Torchy?

Work through the 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 67 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 On With Torchy

Common questions about reading On With Torchy by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of On With Torchy?

Yes. All 5308 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of On With Torchy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #17301, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does On With Torchy take to read?

About 442 minutes of reading across 1062 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read On With Torchy section by section

How to work through On With Torchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of On With Torchy 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 On With Torchy

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

Torchy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On With Torchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Trying
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On With Torchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Numbers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On With Torchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
What's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On With Torchy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.