Chapter 38 of Andy Gordon is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Andy Gordon is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY. Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon. Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual. He had written, but the letter had not come to hand. “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
Chapter 38 of Andy Gordon is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.”
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading “Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.”
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.”
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading “BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading ““I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.”
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading “Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.”
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 “Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.”
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 Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
for more time
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading BAD REPORTS ABOUT ANDY.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “I am afraid Andy is sick,” she said to herself.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
in the direction of
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Gordon, in her humble home in Hamilton, was engaged in sewing toward the close of the afternoon.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading Her face wore an anxious look, for she had not heard from Andy for a longer time than usual.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading He had written, but the letter had not come to hand.
Chapter 38 of Andy Gordon by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 38 holds 76 sentences of Andy Gordon, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Andy Gordon by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 38 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 Andy Gordon by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4079 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52097 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52097, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 816 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Andy Gordon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Andy Gordon 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 Andy Gordon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
