Chapter 39 of Chester Rand is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Chester Rand is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE. The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room. They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand. Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation. All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
Chapter 39 of Chester Rand is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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 city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading “They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.”
having gaps or spaces
From this reading “The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.”
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
From this reading “All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.”
past form of “menace” — pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading “All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.”
the basic unit of money in South Africa; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
(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, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
set down according to a plan
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
past form of “menace” — pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
with speed
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
the basic unit of money in South Africa; equal to 100 cents
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE.
communicated in words
From this reading Abner Trimble turned pale and uttered an imprecation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door of the sitting room was opened quickly, and two boys dashed into the room.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were Edward Granger and Chester Rand.
in the company of; together with
From this reading All his plans, so carefully laid, were menaced with ignominious defeat.
Chapter 39 of Chester Rand by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 39 holds 83 sentences of Chester Rand, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Chester Rand by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 39 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 Chester Rand by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23108 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23108, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 433 minutes of reading across 1041 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Chester Rand section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Chester Rand 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 Chester Rand, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
