Chapter 14 of Dean Dunham is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Dean Dunham is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY. "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note." Brandon frowned. He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy. "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
Chapter 14 of Dean Dunham is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college
From this reading “DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.”
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading “He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Brandon frowned.”
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.”
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 “DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.”
a boy who earns money by running errands
In this reading “He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.”
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 "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Brandon frowned.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not fancy being employed as an errand boy.
a brief written record
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading DEAN IS ENGAGED AS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Can't you get somebody else?" he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Brandon," said his father, "I would like to have you call at Adin Dunham's with a note."
Chapter 14 of Dean Dunham by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 14 holds 116 sentences of Dean Dunham, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Dean Dunham by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 14 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 Dean Dunham by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4654 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 387 minutes of reading across 931 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dean Dunham section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Dean Dunham 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 Dean Dunham, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
