Chapter 24 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN PLAYS A PART. The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive. It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself. It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn. When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
Chapter 24 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading “When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.”
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading “The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.”
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading “It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.”
used of especially merchandise brought from a foreign source
From this reading “The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.”
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading “It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.”
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading “BEN PLAYS A PART.”
past form of “purchase” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.”
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 “When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.”
In this reading “BEN PLAYS A PART.”
put clothing on one's body
In this reading “The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.”
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 BEN PLAYS A PART.
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN PLAYS A PART.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
used of especially merchandise brought from a foreign source
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading BEN PLAYS A PART.
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading BEN PLAYS A PART.
past form of “purchase” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
(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”)
From this reading It fitted marvelously well as Ben could see for himself.
at the time that
From this reading When he was dressed he stepped into the adjoining room.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The suit which Ben had put on was of fine imported cloth, and evidently expensive.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading It was better than the suit he had purchased in Boston, and which was now half worn.
Chapter 24 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 24 holds 151 sentences of Ben Bruce, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 24 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.
