Chapter 8 of A Debt of Honor is here in full — 117 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 A Debt of Honor is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FOILING A THIEF. MR. PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door. He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes. “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
Chapter 8 of A Debt of Honor is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts
From this reading “FOILING A THIEF.”
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading “He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.”
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading “PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.”
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading ““Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.”
made of inferior workmanship and materials
From this reading “He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “FOILING A THIEF.”
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 “He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.”
In this reading “He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.”
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 FOILING A THIEF.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts
From this reading FOILING A THIEF.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
uttered with a trill
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Good mornin’, gemmen,” he said rubbing his hands and rolling his eyes.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
made of inferior workmanship and materials
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading FOILING A THIEF.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading PETER JOHNSON, the proprietor of the saloon, hearing voices, came to the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a dirty looking negro of medium size, dressed in a shoddy suit, common enough in appearance, but with a look of cunning in his small round eyes.
Chapter 8 of A Debt of Honor by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 117 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 117 sentences of A Debt of Honor, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Debt of Honor by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 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 A Debt of Honor by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4537 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51792 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51792, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 378 minutes of reading across 908 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Debt of Honor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Debt of Honor 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 Debt of Honor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
