Chapter 4 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North 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 IV
Chapter 4 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS. Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle. "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said. "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday." "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
Chapter 4 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North 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.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “"Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."”
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading “Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.”
hold back to a later time
From this reading “"Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."”
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading “"You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “"Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."”
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 A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
and nothing more
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
hold back to a later time
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
term of address for a man
From this reading "I shall be glad to hear it, sir."
express in speech
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Just before supper Kit was asked to an interview with his uncle.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
the day immediately before today
From this reading "Yes; I have decided not to postpone the explanation for which you asked yesterday."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You wish to speak to me, Uncle Stephen?" he said.
Chapter 4 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North by Horatio, Jr. Alger 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 4 holds 126 sentences of The Young Acrobat of the Great North, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North by Horatio, Jr. Alger 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 4 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 Young Acrobat of the Great North by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4237 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22521 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22521, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Acrobat of the Great North section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Young Acrobat of the Great North 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 Young Acrobat of the Great North, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
