Chapter 12 of Side-Stepping with Shorty is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Side-Stepping with Shorty is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his. "Aw, cut it out!" says I. "You tell 'em they got another guess. You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy." "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
Chapter 12 of Side-Stepping with Shorty is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading “"Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “"They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"You tell 'em they got another guess.”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “"Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.”
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring
From this reading “You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."”
the season of growth
From this reading “"They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.”
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."”
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.
In this reading “You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aw, cut it out!" says I.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "Aw, cut it out!" says I.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
a quad with a square body
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Aw, cut it out!" says I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Aw, cut it out!" says I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Aw, cut it out!" says I.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
express in words
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
the season of growth
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
express in words
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They say I'm all to the bad, Shorty," says he, tryin' to spring that grin of his.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Think so?" says he, real eager, his eyes lightin' up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You tell 'em they got another guess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're too tough and rugged to go under so easy."
Chapter 12 of Side-Stepping with Shorty by Sewell Ford holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 12 holds 397 sentences of Side-Stepping with Shorty, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Side-Stepping with Shorty by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 12 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 Side-Stepping with Shorty by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4989 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Side-Stepping with Shorty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Side-Stepping with Shorty 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 Side-Stepping with Shorty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
