Chapter 13 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FAREWELL CALL. Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal. To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting. What would his mother and sister say? "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
Chapter 13 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading “Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.”
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading “To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.”
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading “To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.”
an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
From this reading “A FAREWELL CALL.”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading “"I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “"I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.”
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.
return home
In this reading “"I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.”
In this reading “"I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.”
In this reading “To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.”
In this reading “To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.”
In this reading “"I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.”
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 FAREWELL CALL.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A FAREWELL CALL.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
From this reading A FAREWELL CALL.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
in a questioning format
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
as might be expected
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
the work of a sailor
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
express in words
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading "I suppose there isn't time for me to go home and see my mother before sailing?" he ventured to say, interrogatively.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ben was startled by Major Grafton's abrupt proposal.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would his mother and sister say?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To go to Europe would be delightful, he admitted to himself, but to start at a few hours' notice was naturally exciting.
Chapter 13 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 13 holds 112 sentences of A Boy's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 13 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 A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4381 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52017 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52017, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Boy's Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Boy's Fortune 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 A Boy's Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
