Chapter 17 of A Debt of Honor is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Debt of Honor is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BACKWOODS HOTEL. THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado. “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist. “I am tired and hungry.” “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
Chapter 17 of A Debt of Honor is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
a remote and undeveloped area
From this reading “THE BACKWOODS HOTEL.”
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
a state in west central United States in the Rocky Mountains
From this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
housing that someone is living in
From this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
done with very great haste and without due deliberation
From this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
someone who travels for pleasure
From this reading ““I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.”
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 “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
at or in the front
In this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
In this reading “THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.”
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 THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
later than; following
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am tired and hungry.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
a remote and undeveloped area
From this reading THE BACKWOODS HOTEL.
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
a state in west central United States in the Rocky Mountains
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
housing that someone is living in
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading THE BACKWOODS HOTEL.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “I am tired and hungry.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
done with very great haste and without due deliberation
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
socially incorrect in behavior
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BACKWOODS HOTEL.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “I am tired and hungry.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
someone who travels for pleasure
From this reading “I hope this is a hotel, Gerald,” said the tourist.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “So am I. We have had a rough ride to-day.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading THREE weeks later Noel Brooke and Gerald, after a long day’s ride, halted their horses in front of a rude, one-story dwelling at the foot of a precipitous hill in Western Colorado.
Chapter 17 of A Debt of Honor by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 17 holds 102 sentences of A Debt of Honor, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Debt of Honor by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 17 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.
