Chapter 1 of Andy Grant's Pluck is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Andy Grant's Pluck is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TELEGRAM. "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy. "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind. He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message: "Come home at once.
Chapter 1 of Andy Grant's Pluck is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
A place of study or training in a special field of knowledge and arts.
From this reading “"A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.”
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “"A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.”
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading “"A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “THE TELEGRAM.”
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading “He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:”
compelling immediate action
From this reading “"A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.”
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading “"A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.”
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 "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
A place of study or training in a special field of knowledge and arts.
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Come home at once.
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come home at once.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
let have
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Come home at once.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
information about recent and important events
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
on one occasion
From this reading "Come home at once.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
recurring again and again
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading THE TELEGRAM.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TELEGRAM.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
compelling immediate action
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "A telegram!" repeated Andy, in vague alarm, for the word suggested something urgent--probably bad news of some kind.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He tore open the envelope and read the few words of the message:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "A telegram for you, Andy!" said Arthur Bacon, as he entered the room of Andy Grant in Penhurst Academy.
Chapter 1 of Andy Grant's Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 144 sentences of Andy Grant's Pluck, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Andy Grant's Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Andy Grant's Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4961 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14831 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14831, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 993 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Andy Grant's Pluck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Andy Grant's Pluck 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 Grant's Pluck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
