Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George W. (George Wilbur) Peck • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter XXVI Reading 1/8

Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus George W. (George Wilbur) Peck

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

The Rings Are So Muddy the Performers Have to Wear Rubber Boots--The Freaks Present Pa with a Big Heart of Roses--The Show Closes and the Bad Boy Starts West with His Pa in Search of Attractions for the Coming Season. Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days. It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before. The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights. The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

Line 3

It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

/ɪt hæz reɪnd naɪn deɪz ənd ə hæf aʊt ʌv ə ˈpɑːsəbəl ten deɪz ənd ðə mʌd ɪz ˈsʌmθɪŋ wiː ˈnevər driːmd ʌv bɪˈfɔːr/

Line 4

The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

/ðə ˈwæɡənz hæv bɪn maɪrd ɪn ðə mʌd ɑːn ðə weɪ frʌm ðə treɪn tuː ðə lɑːt ˈevəri deɪ ɪn ðə striːts ʌv ˈsɪtiz bɪɡ ɪˈnʌf tuː hæv striːt kɑːrz ənd ɪˈlektrɪk laɪts/

Line 5

The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

/ðə ˈsɪtiz hæv wʌn ɔːr tuː meɪn striːts peɪvd bʌt ðə rest ʌv ðə striːts ɑːr dʒʌst ˈvɜːrdʒɪn sɔɪl ənd juː hæv ɡɑːt tuː swɪm tuː ɡet tuː ðə peɪvd striːts/

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.

Closes noun US /ˈkloʊzɪz/

plural of “close” — the temporal end; the concluding time

From this reading “The Rings Are So Muddy the Performers Have to Wear Rubber Boots--The Freaks Present Pa with a Big Heart of Roses--The Show Closes and the Bad Boy Starts West with His Pa in Search of Attractions for the Coming Season.”

Freaks noun US /friːks/

plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed

mired adjective US /maɪrd/

entangled or hindered as if e.g. in mire

From this reading “The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.”

Missouri noun US /məˈzʊri/

a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union

From this reading “Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.”

paved adjective US /peɪvd/

covered with a firm surface

From this reading “The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.”

Performers noun US /pərˈfɔːrmərz/

plural of “performer” — an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience

rained verb US /reɪnd/

past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain

From this reading “It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.”

Rubber noun US /ˈrʌbər/

an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

All words in this reading · 91

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 Rings Are So Muddy the Performers Have to Wear Rubber Boots--The Freaks Present Pa with a Big Heart of Roses--The Show Closes and the Bad Boy Starts West with His Pa in Search of Attractions for the Coming Season.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

AttractionsnounUS /əˈtrækʃənz/

plural of “attraction” — the force by which one object attracts another

BadadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

BigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

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

BootsnounUS /buːts/

plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

BoynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

carsnounUS /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

circusnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəs/

a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

citiesnounUS /ˈsɪtiz/

plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

ClosesnounUS /ˈkloʊzɪz/

plural of “close” — the temporal end; the concluding time

ComingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

degreenounUS /dɪˈɡriː/

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

dreamedadjectiveUS /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

electricadjectiveUS /ɪˈlektrɪk/

using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

FreaksnounUS /friːks/

plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

HeartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

humilitynounUS /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/

a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

lightsnounUS /laɪts/

plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

mainadjectiveUS /meɪn/

most important element

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

miredadjectiveUS /maɪrd/

entangled or hindered as if e.g. in mire

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

MissourinounUS /məˈzʊri/

a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

mudnounUS /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

MuddyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌdi/

(of soil) soft and watery

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

ninenounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

PanounUS /pɑː/

an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk

pavedadjectiveUS /peɪvd/

covered with a firm surface

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

PerformersnounUS /pərˈfɔːrmərz/

plural of “performer” — an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

PresentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

rainedverbUS /reɪnd/

past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

RingsnounUS /rɪŋz/

gymnastic apparatus consisting of a pair of heavy metal circles (usually covered with leather) suspended by ropes; used for gymnastic exercises

RosesnounUS /ˈroʊzɪz/

plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

RubbernounUS /ˈrʌbər/

an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

SearchverbUS /sɜːrtʃ/

try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

SeasonnounUS /ˈsiːzən/

a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field

ShowverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

soilnounUS /sɔɪl/

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading It has rained nine days and a half out of a possible ten days, and the mud is something we never dreamed of before.

StartsnounUS /stɑːrts/

plural of “start” — the beginning of anything

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

streetsnounUS /striːts/

plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

swimverbUS /swɪm/

travel through water

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

teachverbUS /tiːtʃ/

impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thirty-thirdadjective

the ordinal number of thirty-three in counting order

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

virginnounUS /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/

a person who has never had sex

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

wagonsnounUS /ˈwæɡənz/

plural of “wagon” — any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The wagons have been mired in the mud on the way from the train to the lot every day in the streets of cities big enough to have street cars and electric lights.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

WearverbUS /wer/

be dressed in

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 Well, Missouri is the state to teach a circus humility, and we have taken the thirty-third degree in the last ten days.

WestnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The cities have one or two main streets paved, but the rest of the streets are just virgin soil, and you have got to swim to get to the paved streets.

Chapter 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus by George W. (George Wilbur) Peck holds 41 sentences, grouped into 9 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 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus contain?

Chapter 26 holds 41 sentences of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus by George W. (George Wilbur) Peck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 41 sentences, grouped into 9 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 26 of Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus?

Work through the 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 9 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 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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 Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Common questions about reading Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus by George W. (George Wilbur) Peck on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 1349 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10212 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #10212, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus

Words and structures a reader meets early in Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

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Vocabulary met early in Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus