Chapter 17 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RIVALS IN BUSINESS. Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected. There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn. But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did. The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
Chapter 17 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
being ten more than seventy
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
plural of “rival” — the contestant you hope to defeat
From this reading “RIVALS IN BUSINESS.”
being ten more than sixty
From this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.”
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 first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
In this reading “The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.”
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 There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading RIVALS IN BUSINESS.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
being ten more than seventy
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading RIVALS IN BUSINESS.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
and nothing more
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
engage in
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
plural of “rival” — the contestant you hope to defeat
From this reading RIVALS IN BUSINESS.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
being ten more than sixty
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
being four more than sixty
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading But Ben meant to succeed and in the end he did.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading The first day he cleared but forty-five cents, the second, sixty-four, the third, seventy, and the fourth, eighty cents.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Just at first Ben failed to make the money that he expected.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There is a way to sell papers as there is to do any other kind of business, and it took a little time to learn.
Chapter 17 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 17 holds 163 sentences of Ben Bruce, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 17 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 Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1000 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ben Bruce section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Ben Bruce 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 Ben Bruce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
