Chapter 24 of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONCLUSION "Down, Wallace! Charge!" The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head. "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer. Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
Chapter 24 of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
in a vicious manner
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading “CONCLUSION "Down, Wallace!”
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading “The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading Charge!"
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading CONCLUSION "Down, Wallace!
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading CONCLUSION "Down, Wallace!
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
for more time
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I shan't be able to hold him off much longer.
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
in a vicious manner
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading CONCLUSION "Down, Wallace!
(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 Wallace knows, as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
during the time that
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dying torches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung above the lad's head.
Chapter 24 of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land by Edgar B. P. Darlington holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 24 holds 114 sentences of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land by Edgar B. P. Darlington exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 24 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 The Circus Boys in Dixie Land by Edgar B. P. Darlington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3735 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2476 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2476, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Circus Boys in Dixie Land section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Circus Boys in Dixie Land 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 The Circus Boys in Dixie Land, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
