Chapter 1 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Well, it's come! Uh-huh! And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all. No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators. And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
Chapter 1 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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 “elevator” — lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading “No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.”
give expression to
From this reading “No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.”
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.”
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.”
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading “And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.”
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.
(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 And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Well, it's come!
plural of “elevator” — lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
give expression to
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, it's come!
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
not any; not one
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
precisely, exactly
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uh-huh!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, it's come!
at the time that
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
during the time that
From this reading No climbin' the ladder for me, not while they run express elevators.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And, believe me, when the gate opened, I was right there with my foot out.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And sudden, too, like I knew it would, if it came at all.
Chapter 1 of Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 1 holds 288 sentences of Torchy, Private Sec., unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 1 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 Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6116 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20627, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 509 minutes of reading across 1224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Torchy, Private Sec. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Torchy, Private Sec. 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 Torchy, Private Sec., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
