Chapter 1 of Adrift in New York is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Adrift in New York is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Missing Heir. "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night." "I'm not well, Florence. I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better." "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
Chapter 1 of Adrift in New York is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 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.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."”
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading “"I'm not well, Florence.”
A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.
From this reading “The Missing Heir.”
not able to be found
From this reading “The Missing Heir.”
-ing form of “near” — move towards
From this reading “"Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."”
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “"Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “"Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
at any time
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading "I'm not well, Florence.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.
From this reading The Missing Heir.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not well, Florence.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
not able to be found
From this reading The Missing Heir.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
-ing form of “near” — move towards
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading I sometimes doubt if I shall ever be any better."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Missing Heir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, my child, I have reason to believe that I am nearing the end."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Uncle, you are not looking well to-night."
Chapter 1 of Adrift in New York by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 1 holds 137 sentences of Adrift in New York, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Adrift in New York by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 1 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 Adrift in New York by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4847 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18581 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18581, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 403 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Adrift in New York section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Adrift in New York 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 Adrift in New York, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
