Chapter 8 of The Young Circus Rider is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Young Circus Rider is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP. "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock. "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly. "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan? I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
Chapter 8 of The Young Circus Rider is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 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.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “"I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.”
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “"I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.”
a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord
From this reading “"Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.”
according to the clock
From this reading “"Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.”
for a short time
From this reading “"I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.”
a vagrant
From this reading “TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.”
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.
a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service
In this reading “"Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.”
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “"Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.”
In this reading “I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.”
In this reading “TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.”
In this reading “I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.”
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 "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
according to the clock
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
for a short time
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
carry out
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've been to the circus," said the farmer shortly.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
a vagrant
From this reading TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading TWO BOYS ON A TRAMP.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I've always wanted to go to the circus," said Mrs. Tarbox in a tone of disappointment.
at the time that
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Oh, why didn't you take me, Nathan?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Tarbox, where on earth have you been?" inquired his wife, when her liege lord returned about 11.30 o'clock.
Chapter 8 of The Young Circus Rider by Horatio, Jr. [Adapter] Alger holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 8 holds 120 sentences of The Young Circus Rider, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Young Circus Rider by Horatio, Jr. [Adapter] Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 8 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 Circus Rider by Horatio, Jr. [Adapter] Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3234 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56056, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 647 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Circus Rider section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Young Circus Rider 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 Circus Rider, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
