Chapter 30 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN’S PROGRESS. Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set. He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once. When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.” “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
Chapter 30 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 line of approach
From this reading ““I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.”
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.”
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
king of Northumbria who was converted to Christianity (585-633)
From this reading “When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.””
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading ““I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.”
plural of “greeting” — (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading “When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.””
keep busy with
From this reading “He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.”
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.”
In this reading “Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.”
In this reading “When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.””
In this reading ““I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.”
simultaneously
In this reading “Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.”
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 He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
eagerly desirous
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
a line of approach
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN’S PROGRESS.
king of Northumbria who was converted to Christianity (585-633)
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
plural of “greeting” — (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
and nothing more
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
come together
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
a brief written record
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
keep busy with
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
on one occasion
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
above and across; more than
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading BEN’S PROGRESS.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading He had been accustomed to occupy a room at the house of his uncle, and he repaired there at once.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Basil Wentworth returned home at the time set.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
at the time that
From this reading When the first greetings were over, he said, “I am anxious to meet Maria and Edwin.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I have just received a note from the Fifth Avenue Hotel which I will show you.
Chapter 30 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 30 holds 121 sentences of Ben Bruce, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 30 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.
