Chapter 1 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 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 the City is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HORATIO ALGER, JR. PORTER & COATES. "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command. The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion. He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
Chapter 1 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading “HORATIO ALGER, JR.”
nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
From this reading “He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.”
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading “PORTER & COATES.”
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading “"Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
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 “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
In this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.”
In this reading “"Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.”
In this reading “He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.”
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 "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading HORATIO ALGER, JR.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
a youthful male person
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading PORTER & COATES.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HORATIO ALGER, JR.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading HORATIO ALGER, JR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading PORTER & COATES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He had a bat in his hand, and had sent the ball far down the street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, stood on the lawn before a handsome country mansion.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Oliver, bring me that ball!" said Roland Kenyon, in a tone of command.
Chapter 1 of Adrift in the City by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 129 sentences of Adrift in the City, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Adrift in the City by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 the City by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4712 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56973 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56973, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 943 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Adrift in the City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Adrift in the City 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 the City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
