Chapter 15 of Facing the World is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Facing the World is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco. Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was. In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used. He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper. His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
Chapter 15 of Facing the World is here in full — 118 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.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading “CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.”
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading “He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.”
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading “CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.”
possessive form of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.”
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading “He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.”
regarded with disfavor or lacking general approval
From this reading “He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.”
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading “He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.”
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 In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
a person who is in charge
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
take in liquids
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
immediately past
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
not any; not one
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
possessive form of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading His chief fault was a love of strong drink.
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
regarded with disfavor or lacking general approval
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
precisely as stated
From this reading In fact, a sailor’s last name is very little used.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CONCLUSION Among the sailors was an Italian named Francesco.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Probably he had another name, but no one knew what it was.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a man of middle height, very swarthy, with bright, black eyes, not unpopular, for the most part, but with a violent temper.
Chapter 15 of Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 118 sentences of Facing the World, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 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 15 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 Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6461, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 174 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Facing the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Facing the World 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 Facing the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
