Chapter 36 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAN DISCOMFITS THE DONOVANS. Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings. It was a common cellar with an earthen floor. Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
Chapter 36 of Dan, the Newsboy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.”
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.”
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading “Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.”
made of earth (or baked clay)
From this reading “It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.”
plural of “keg” — the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading “Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.”
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading “Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.”
the environmental condition
From this reading “As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.”
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.
In this reading “It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.”
In this reading “As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.”
In this reading “Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.”
In this reading “As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.”
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 It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAN DISCOMFITS THE DONOVANS.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAN DISCOMFITS THE DONOVANS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAN DISCOMFITS THE DONOVANS.
made of earth (or baked clay)
From this reading It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
opinion or judgment
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
set up or found
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
plural of “keg” — the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Dan found himself at first bewildered and confused by his sudden descent into the cellar.
the environmental condition
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAN DISCOMFITS THE DONOVANS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he was able to get an idea of his surroundings.
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading Ranged along one side was a row of kegs, some containing whisky, others empty.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a common cellar with an earthen floor.
Chapter 36 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 36 holds 100 sentences of Dan, the Newsboy, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 36 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.
