Chapter 23 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HEAVY VALISE. Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling. "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise. "Yes," said the other. "Where shall I carry it?"
Chapter 23 of Ben, the Luggage Boy is here in full — 123 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.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading “Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.”
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading “"Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.”
of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful
From this reading “Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.”
the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania
From this reading “Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.”
hit hard
From this reading “"Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.”
being five more than thirty
From this reading “"Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.”
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 "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "Where shall I carry it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading THE HEAVY VALISE.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Where shall I carry it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Where shall I carry it?"
of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
intermediate in size
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Yes," said the other.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," said the other.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Where shall I carry it?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
hit hard
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HEAVY VALISE.
being five more than thirty
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
a small overnight bag for short trips
From this reading THE HEAVY VALISE.
at the time that
From this reading Ben had sold half his papers when the arrival of the train from Philadelphia gave him an opportunity to return to his legitimate calling.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where shall I carry it?"
which person or people
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said the other.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Smash your baggage, sir?" asked Ben of a dark-complexioned man of thirty-five, who carried a moderate-sized valise.
Chapter 23 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 123 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 23 holds 123 sentences of Ben, the Luggage Boy, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Ben, the Luggage Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 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 23 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.
