Chapter 27 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MIDNIGHT ESCAPE. For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber. To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome. If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly. Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
Chapter 27 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading “To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.”
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading “For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.”
by good fortune
From this reading “Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “A MIDNIGHT ESCAPE.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.”
your usual mood
From this reading “To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.”
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.
In this reading “For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.”
In this reading “Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.”
In this reading “For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.”
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 MIDNIGHT ESCAPE.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
a youthful male person
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading A MIDNIGHT ESCAPE.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
by good fortune
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading A MIDNIGHT ESCAPE.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
used to form the superlative
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
and nothing more
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
go across or through
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
in a swift manner
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
your usual mood
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading For three days Ben passed a dull, uniform existence, being most of the time confined to his chamber.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To a boy of active temperament it was most irksome.
which person or people
From this reading Fortunately, on the second day, he bethought himself of Francois, who seemed friendly.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If he only had something to read, the hours would pass more swiftly.
Chapter 27 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 holds 135 sentences of A Boy's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 27 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.
