Chapter XI of The Firebug, “Johnny Gets a Tip,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter XI of The Firebug, “Johnny Gets a Tip,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch. I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head. “Who hit you?” he asked. “I—I got a bump there.” Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
Chapter XI of The Firebug, “Johnny Gets a Tip,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
knock against with force or violence
From this reading ““I—I got a bump there.””
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading “Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading ““Who hit you?” he asked.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.”
possessive form of “johnny” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.”
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.”
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 “I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.”
In this reading ““Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.”
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 “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Who hit you?” he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
knock against with force or violence
From this reading “I—I got a bump there.”
a person who is in charge
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I—I got a bump there.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’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 I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
cause to move by striking
From this reading “Who hit you?” he asked.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
possessive form of “johnny” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading I want——” Suddenly he paused to stare at the swollen side of Johnny’s head.
express in words
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “I—I got a bump there.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
look attentively
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
which person or people
From this reading “Who hit you?” he asked.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Johnny did not wish to tell the Chief about his island experience.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Johnny,” began the Chief as Johnny entered the office late that afternoon, “there’s a man in town I want you to watch.
Chapter 11 of The Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 11 holds 103 sentences of The Firebug, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 11 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 Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42755 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42755, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 280 minutes of reading across 674 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Firebug section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Firebug 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 Firebug, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
