Chapter 8 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN'S TEMPTATION. "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry. "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?" "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape. "Only we didn't," said Jerry.
Chapter 8 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “BEN'S TEMPTATION.”
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading “"We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.”
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “"Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.”
to a great extent or degree
From this reading “"We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.”
deeply or markedly affected or influenced
From this reading “"We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “"Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “"Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.”
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading “BEN'S TEMPTATION.”
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.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN'S TEMPTATION.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.
to a great extent or degree
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Only we didn't," said Jerry.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
deeply or markedly affected or influenced
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Jest my luck!" complained Jerry.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
and nothing more
From this reading "Only we didn't," said Jerry.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading BEN'S TEMPTATION.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
up to a particular time
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
which person or people
From this reading "We might have burned up," said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why couldn't the fire have waited till mornin'?"
Chapter 8 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 8 holds 158 sentences of Ben, the Luggage Boy, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 8 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.
