Chapter 5 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke. His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk. “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air. “Real careful! Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
Chapter 5 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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 “buck” — a gymnastic horse without pommels and with one end elongated; used lengthwise for vaulting
pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.”
an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading “BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.”
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading “His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.”
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading ““You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.”
full of anxiety and concern
From this reading ““You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.”
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading “His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.”
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 “Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!”
In this reading “His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.”
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 BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
possessive form of “buck” — a gymnastic horse without pommels and with one end elongated; used lengthwise for vaulting
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
occurring by chance
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
precisely, exactly
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
full of anxiety and concern
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading His red face purpled deeply, and his plastered right hand gave a slight, spasmodic jerk.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t let it jerk thataway; it’s a right bad sign, Mr. Murphy!
in or at that place or location
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BUCK’S LUCKY DAY Murphy really looked as though about to have a stroke.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
look attentively
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You want to watch that there hand real careful,” said Robinson with a solicitous air.
Chapter 5 of The Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 5 holds 226 sentences of The Sheriff of Pecos, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 5 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 Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2559 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60797, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sheriff of Pecos section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Sheriff of Pecos 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 Sheriff of Pecos, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
