Chapter 5 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET. Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before. He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small. The next pause he came to was before a bookstore. Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
Chapter 5 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.”
a shop where books are sold
From this reading “The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.”
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.”
American inventor who designed the first commercially successful steamboat and the first steam warship (1765-1815)
From this reading “A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.”
publicly displayed
From this reading “Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."”
a building where people go to eat
From this reading “A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.”
do one's shopping
From this reading “Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.”
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.
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 RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
a shop where books are sold
From this reading The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.
a youthful male person
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
American inventor who designed the first commercially successful steamboat and the first steam warship (1765-1815)
From this reading A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
publicly displayed
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
on the contrary
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a building where people go to eat
From this reading A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
do one's shopping
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading A RESTAURANT ON FULTON STREET.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next pause he came to was before a bookstore.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Here, too, there was posted on the window:-- "BOY WANTED."
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading Ben kept on his way, looking in at the shop windows as before.
but in spite of that
From this reading He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in a store, though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small.
Chapter 5 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 5 holds 128 sentences of Ben, the Luggage Boy, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 5 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, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3480 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28381, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 290 minutes of reading across 696 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ben, the Luggage Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Ben, the Luggage Boy 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, the Luggage Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
