Chapter 40 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 344 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 344 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS. Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife. Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety. He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village. This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
Chapter 40 of Adrift in the City is here in full — 344 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/68 · 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.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading “Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.”
people who are frustrated and perplexed
From this reading “Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.”
not to your liking
From this reading “This would place him in a very disagreeable position.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.”
from this time forth; from now on
From this reading “Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.”
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.”
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.”
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 “Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.”
In this reading “Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.”
In this reading “He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.”
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 This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
possessing life
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
people who are frustrated and perplexed
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
not to your liking
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
from this time forth; from now on
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
precisely as stated
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Mr. Kenyon returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading This would place him in a very disagreeable position.
Chapter 40 of Adrift in the City by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 344 sentences, grouped into 69 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 40 holds 344 sentences of Adrift in the City, unabridged, divided into 69 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Adrift in the City by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 344 sentences, grouped into 69 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 69 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 69 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 40 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.
