Chapter 1 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAN AT HOME. While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid. She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance. She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery. She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
Chapter 1 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.”
a street in Manhattan noted for cheap hotels frequented by homeless derelicts
From this reading “She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.”
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading “She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.”
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading “She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.”
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading “While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.”
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading “While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.”
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading “She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “DAN AT HOME.”
seek information from
In this reading “She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.”
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 She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading DAN AT HOME.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
a street in Manhattan noted for cheap hotels frequented by homeless derelicts
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAN AT HOME.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading DAN AT HOME.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading She was pale, thin, and of delicate appearance.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
at the time that
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She was sitting in a cane-seated rocking-chair, which Dan had bought second-hand on one of his flush days at a small place on the Bowery.
during the time that
From this reading While Dan was strong, sturdy, and the picture of health, his mother was evidently an invalid.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She looked up with a glad smile when Dan entered.
Chapter 1 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 1 holds 143 sentences of Dan, the Newsboy, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 1 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 Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5264 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53345 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53345, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1053 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dan, the Newsboy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Dan, the Newsboy 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 Dan, the Newsboy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
