Chapter 7 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH. Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits. He saw a way out of his difficulties. Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him. He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
Chapter 7 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
United States professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934)
From this reading “AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.”
a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading “AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.”
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading “He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.”
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “He saw a way out of his difficulties.”
not pleasing in odor or taste
From this reading “Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.”
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading “Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.”
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 He saw a way out of his difficulties.
United States professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934)
From this reading AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.
a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
not pleasing in odor or taste
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
not any; not one
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AARON BICKFORD, THE BLACKSMITH.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kit returned to breakfast in good spirits.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was fond of study, and had looked forward to a college course.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He saw a way out of his difficulties.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Though he had no false pride, he felt that a blacksmith's life would be distasteful to him.
Chapter 7 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 7 holds 109 sentences of The Young Acrobat of the Great North, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 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 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 7 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.
