Chapter 20 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED. "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse. "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here." "The boy's all right," returned the sergeant. "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
Chapter 20 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 boy's all right," returned the sergeant.”
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading “"One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"”
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading “"Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."”
your personal financial means
From this reading “JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.”
become active
From this reading “"Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “"Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “"Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.”
comparative of “spic” — completely neat and clean
From this reading “JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
(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 "The boy's all right," returned the sergeant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "The boy's all right," returned the sergeant.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
be the source of pain
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
the force of workers available
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
your personal financial means
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "The boy's all right," returned the sergeant.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "The boy's all right," returned the sergeant.
become active
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
comparative of “spic” — completely neat and clean
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading JAKE KLINKHAMMER'S POCKETBOOK--OLD SPICER SURPRISED.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
accept gladly
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
which person or people
From this reading "One of my men has him fast; but who the deuce are you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah! sergeant, you never were more welcome," cried Rouse.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Grab that young whelp in the saloon, and then let's see who's hurt here."
Chapter 20 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 20 holds 126 sentences of The Spruce Street Tragedy, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 20 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 Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 768 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spruce Street Tragedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Spruce Street Tragedy 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 Spruce Street Tragedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
