Chapter 9 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER. Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance. It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways. But Ben was not bashful. He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
Chapter 9 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 154 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.
self-consciously timid
From this reading “But Ben was not bashful.”
third-person singular of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.”
the trait of being willing to give your money or time
From this reading “Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.”
a severe or trying experience
From this reading “It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.”
move with force
From this reading “He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.”
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading “Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.”
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.”
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading “He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.”
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 soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
self-consciously timid
From this reading But Ben was not bashful.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.
a youthful male person
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Ben was not bashful.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
third-person singular of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
the trait of being willing to give your money or time
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading BEN COMMENCES HIS BUSINESS CAREER.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But Ben was not bashful.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
a severe or trying experience
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
move with force
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
on the contrary
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
in the near future
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
hard to endure
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ben soon took his stand in the street, with a roll of papers under his arm, supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance.
Chapter 9 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 154 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 9 holds 154 sentences of Ben, the Luggage Boy, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 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 9 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.
