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Dan, the Newsboy
Dan, the Newsboy

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Dan, the Newsboy
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A NE'ER DO WELL.
At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.
He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.
He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.
It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dan, the Newsboy

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A NE'ER DO WELL.
/ə ner duː wel/
Line 2
At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.
Line 3
He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.
Line 4
He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.
/hiː wɑːz ɪn ˈeksələnt ˈspɪrɪts ɑːn əˈkaʊnt ʌv ðə ˈflætərɪŋ əˈtenʃənz hiː hæd rəˈsiːvd/
Line 5
It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.
/ɪt wɑːz ɪn ðɪs freɪm ʌv maɪnd ðæt hiː ˈoʊpənd ðə dɔːr/

Learner Dictionary

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.

ascended verb US /əˈsendɪd/

past form of “ascend” — travel up

From this reading “At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.”

attentions noun US /əˈtenʃənz/

plural of “attention” — the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

enjoyed verb US /ˌenˈdʒɔɪd/

past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

From this reading “He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.”

excellent adjective US /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

flattering adjective US /ˈflætərɪŋ/

showing or representing to advantage

From this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

frame verb US /freɪm/

enclose in or as if in a frame

From this reading “It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.”

mother's noun US /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading “At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.”

ne'er adverb US /ner/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading “A NE'ER DO WELL.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

ascended the stairs verb + article + noun counted as “ascend … stairs”

In this reading “At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.”

excellent spirits adjective + noun

In this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

flattering attentions adjective + noun counted as “flattering attention”

In this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

on account preposition + noun

In this reading “He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.”

frame of verb + particle

In this reading “It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.”

come in verb + particle

to come or go into

In this reading “He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.”

All words in this reading · 43

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A NE'ER DO WELL.

accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

ascendedverbUS /əˈsendɪd/

past form of “ascend” — travel up

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

attentionsnounUS /əˈtenʃənz/

plural of “attention” — the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

Dan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

DOauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading A NE'ER DO WELL.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

enjoyedverbUS /ˌenˈdʒɔɪd/

past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

excellentadjectiveUS /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

flatteringadjectiveUS /ˈflætərɪŋ/

showing or representing to advantage

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

frameverbUS /freɪm/

enclose in or as if in a frame

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

half-past

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

NE'ERadverbUS /ner/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading A NE'ER DO WELL.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

spiritsnounUS /ˈspɪrɪts/

an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

stairsnounUS /sterz/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading He had promised to come in and tell her how he had enjoyed himself at the party.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was in this frame of mind that he opened the door.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

twelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading At half-past twelve Dan ascended the stairs to his mother's room.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was in excellent spirits on account of the flattering attentions he had received.

WELLadverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading A NE'ER DO WELL.

Chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy contain?

Chapter 27 holds 147 sentences of Dan, the Newsboy, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 27 of Dan, the Newsboy?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 27 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 27 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.

Questions about reading Dan, the Newsboy

Common questions about reading Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dan, the Newsboy?

Yes. All 5264 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53345 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dan, the Newsboy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53345, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dan, the Newsboy take to read?

About 438 minutes of reading across 1053 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dan, the Newsboy section by section

How to work through Dan, the Newsboy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of Dan, the Newsboy to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Dan, the Newsboy

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dan, the Newsboy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

While
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dan, the Newsboy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Strong
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dan, the Newsboy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sturdy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dan, the Newsboy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Picture
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dan, the Newsboy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.