Chapter 21 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM. In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child. Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone. "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike. "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
Chapter 21 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
the state of being absent
From this reading “In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.”
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading “"I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.”
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading “In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “"I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.”
offensive term for a homosexual man
From this reading “"She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.”
to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading “Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.”
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading “In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
the state of being absent
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
make calm or still
From this reading THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM.
a young person of either sex
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
offensive term for a homosexual man
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's always a-whinin' and complainin', Nance is.
to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
a source of difficulty
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
in or at the place that
From this reading Neither did he trouble himself to speculate as to where she had gone.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading In the house on Houston street, Bill wasted little regret on the absence of his wife and child.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "I'm better without her," he said to his confederate, Mike.
Chapter 21 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 21 holds 76 sentences of Dan, the Newsboy, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 21 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.
