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Stepping stones to manhood
Stepping stones to manhood

Chapter XIII · Be Free of the Weed

Chapter XIII of Stepping stones to manhood, “Be Free of the Weed,” is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 13 of Stepping stones to manhood by William Peter Pearce holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 Stepping stones to manhood contain?

Chapter 13 holds 177 sentences of Stepping stones to manhood, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of Stepping stones to manhood by William Peter Pearce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 Stepping stones to manhood?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 13 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Stepping stones to manhood

Common questions about reading Stepping stones to manhood by William Peter Pearce on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stepping stones to manhood?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stepping stones to manhood is used?

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

How long does Stepping stones to manhood take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Stepping stones to manhood section by section

How to work through Stepping stones to manhood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Stepping stones to manhood

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stepping stones to manhood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Stepping stones to manhood, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Stepping stones to manhood, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Stepping stones to manhood, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Cover illustration for Stepping stones to manhood
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.
He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.
The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.
Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”
The boy easily did so.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Stepping stones to manhood

Chapter XIII · Be Free of the Weed

Chapter XIII of Stepping stones to manhood, “Be Free of the Weed,” is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.
Line 2
He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.
Line 3
The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.
Line 4
Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”
Line 5
The boy easily did so.

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.”

Beginning noun US /ˈbeginning/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.”

Scholar noun US /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading “An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.”

All words in this reading · 58

Every word is available to listen to. 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 An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

beginningnounUS /ˈbeginning/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

boy

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

From this reading The boy easily did so.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

close

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

companion

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The boy easily did so.

earth

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

easily

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

From this reading The boy easily did so.

first

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

forest

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

four

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

fourth

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

full-sized

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

ground

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

hand

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

just

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

monk

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

old

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

once

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

peep

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

plants

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

pointed

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

Pull

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”

rooted

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

said

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”

scholarnounUS /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

second

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

shrub

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

side

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

small

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The boy easily did so.

stopped

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

third

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

tree

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

Turning

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”

up

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”

walking

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

well

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

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading He suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants that were close at hand.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading An old monk was once walking through a forest, with a scholar by his side.

young

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

From this reading Turning to his young companion he said: “Pull up the first.”