Chapter 15 of A Struggle for a Fortune is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Struggle for a Fortune is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold. “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny? I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away. Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny. Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
Chapter 15 of A Struggle for a Fortune is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading ““Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.”
conformity or harmony
From this reading ““Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.”
a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading “_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.”
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.”
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 “_Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.”
In this reading “Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.”
run away from confinement
In this reading “I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.”
follow with the eyes or the mind
In this reading ““Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
a man of refinement
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny.
an expression of greeting
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
conformity or harmony
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
above and across; more than
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
up to a particular time
From this reading Nat can’t have any until he gets ready to talk to me.
look attentively
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading _Nat Wood, Gentleman._ “Hi there!” exclaimed the storekeeper, as he threw open the door and stepped over threshold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told you it wouldn’t be safe for you to try to get away.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, here’s some supper for you, Benny.
but in spite of that
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Keeping watch over him yet, ain’t you, Benny?
Chapter 15 of A Struggle for a Fortune by Harry Castlemon holds 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 15 holds 210 sentences of A Struggle for a Fortune, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Struggle for a Fortune by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 15 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 Struggle for a Fortune by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3046 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52287 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52287, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 610 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Struggle for a Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of A Struggle for a 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 Struggle for a Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
