Chapter 38 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR. Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum. "Serves the boy right!" he said. "What business had he to interfere with my plans? M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
Chapter 38 of A Boy's Fortune is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."”
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “"What business had he to interfere with my plans?”
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading “"What business had he to interfere with my plans?”
plural of “serve” — (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
From this reading “"Serves the boy right!" he said.”
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 hospital for mentally incompetent or unbalanced person
In this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
In this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
In this reading “"What business had he to interfere with my plans?”
In this reading “Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.”
In this reading “M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.”
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 M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
later than; following
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Serves the boy right!" he said.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Serves the boy right!" he said.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
one of four equal parts
From this reading M. BOURDON HAS A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Serves the boy right!" he said.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Serves the boy right!" he said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
plural of “serve” — (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
From this reading "Serves the boy right!" he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Major Grafton was quite easy in mind after consigning Ben to the safe custody of an insane asylum.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading M. Bourdon will see that he does not annoy me any further."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What business had he to interfere with my plans?
Chapter 38 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 38 holds 55 sentences of A Boy's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of A Boy's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 38 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.
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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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Boy's Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
