Chapter 40 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONCLUSION. Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston. All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality. He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time. Only two days more and he would sail.
Chapter 40 of Ben Bruce is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 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.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading “He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.”
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading “He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.”
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading “CONCLUSION.”
a Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
From this reading “Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.”
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading “All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.”
gather, as of natural products
From this reading “All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.”
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading “Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.”
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 “He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.”
In this reading “All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.”
In this reading “He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.”
In this reading “Only two days more and he would sail.”
In this reading “He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.”
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 gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading CONCLUSION.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
a Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
brought together in one place
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
and nothing more
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
the trait of indulging in disreputable pranks
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
gather, as of natural products
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had gathered in between six and seven thousand dollars, and on this he calculated that he could enjoy himself abroad for a considerable time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All his plans had been perfected, and he was prepared to reap the fruit of his rascality.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Ezra Winter was sitting in his office in the Sears Building in Boston.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Only two days more and he would sail.
Chapter 40 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 40 holds 75 sentences of Ben Bruce, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Ben Bruce by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 40 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.
