Adrift in the City

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Horatio, Jr. Alger • Curated US English Learning Edition

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ROLAND IS SURPRISED.

Oliver was walking along Broadway in very good spirits, as he well might, after such an extraordinary piece of good fortune, when all at once he became sensible that his step-brother, Roland, was approaching him.

His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter XXI Reading 1/27

Adrift in the City

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Adrift in the City 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

Line 1

ROLAND IS SURPRISED.

Line 2

Line 3

His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

Line 4

He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

/hiː hæd dʌn ˈnʌθɪŋ tuː biː əˈʃeɪmd ʌv/

Line 5

Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

Learner Dictionary

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.

ashamed adjective US /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading “He had done nothing to be ashamed of.”

avoid verb US /əˈvɔɪd/

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading “His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?”

Broadway noun US /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading “Oliver was walking along Broadway in very good spirits, as he well might, after such an extraordinary piece of good fortune, when all at once he became sensible that his step-brother, Roland, was approaching him.”

crossing noun US /ˈkrɔːsɪŋ/

traveling across

From this reading “His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?”

homelike adjective US /ˈhoʊmlaɪk/

having a feeling of home; cozy and comfortable

From this reading “Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.”

impulse noun US /ˈɪmpəls/

an instinctive motive

From this reading “His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?”

Oliver noun US /ˈɑːləvər/

United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)

sensible adjective US /ˈsensəbəl/

showing reason or sound judgment

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

good fortune adjective + noun

an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes

In this reading “Oliver was walking along Broadway in very good spirits, as he well might, after such an extraordinary piece of good fortune, when all at once he became sensible that his step-brother, Roland, was approaching him.”

first impulse adjective + noun

In this reading “His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

good spirits adjective + noun

became sensible verb + adjective counted as “become sensible”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Oliver was walking along Broadway in very good spirits, as he well might, after such an extraordinary piece of good fortune, when all at once he became sensible that his step-brother, Roland, was approaching him.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

approachingnounUS /əˈproʊtʃɪŋ/

the event of one object coming closer to another

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

ashamedadjectiveUS /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

avoidverbUS /əˈvɔɪd/

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

becameverbUS /bɪˈkeɪm/

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

BroadwaynounUS /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

CertainlyadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

companionnounUS /kəmˈpænjən/

a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

crossingnounUS /ˈkrɔːsɪŋ/

traveling across

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

extraordinaryadjectiveUS /ˌekstrəˈɔːrdəneri/

beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

homelikeadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmlaɪk/

having a feeling of home; cozy and comfortable

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpəls/

an instinctive motive

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

ISauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ROLAND IS SURPRISED.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He had done nothing to be ashamed of.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

OlivernounUS /ˈɑːləvər/

United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

ROLAND

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ROLAND IS SURPRISED.

sensibleadjectiveUS /ˈsensəbəl/

showing reason or sound judgment

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

spiritsnounUS /ˈspɪrɪts/

an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

step-brother

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

SURPRISEDadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

From this reading ROLAND IS SURPRISED.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Certainly, Roland was not his friend, but he had been his companion so long that there was something homelike in his face.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

walkingadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːkɪŋ/

close enough to be walked to

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

welladverbUS /wel/

(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”)

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading His first impulse was to avoid the meeting by crossing the street; but, after all, why should he avoid Roland?

Chapter 21 of Adrift in the City 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.

What does chapter 21 of Adrift in the City contain?

Chapter 21 holds 137 sentences of Adrift in the City, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Adrift in the City 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of Adrift in the City?

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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

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Yes. All 4712 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56973 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #56973, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 392 minutes of reading across 943 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XXI

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