Chapter 12 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. BICKFORD'S DEFEAT. Aaron Bickford was a strong man. By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron. So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
Chapter 12 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 was a strong man.”
a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading “So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.”
create by hammering
From this reading “By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.”
take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading “So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.”
given added strength or support
From this reading “By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.”
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 Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
United States professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934)
From this reading Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BICKFORD'S DEFEAT.
a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
a youthful male person
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading BICKFORD'S DEFEAT.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
create by hammering
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
given added strength or support
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
up to a particular time
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Aaron Bickford was a strong man.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading By his work at the forge he had strengthened his muscles till they were like iron.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading So was Kit a strong boy, but it would be absurd to represent him as a match for the sturdy blacksmith.
Chapter 12 of The Young Acrobat of the Great North by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 12 holds 121 sentences of The Young Acrobat of the Great North, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 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 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 12 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.
