Chapter 12 of Fame and Fortune is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Fame and Fortune is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP. One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them. "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them. "Maybe they're from the tax-collectors," said Dick. "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
Chapter 12 of Fame and Fortune is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.”
expected hopefully
From this reading “One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.”
by chance
From this reading “"Maybe they're from the tax-collectors," said Dick.”
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading “"The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.”
considered individually
From this reading “One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.”
plural of “store” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.”
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 DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
expected hopefully
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
someone who is a detective
From this reading DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
the literary culture
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe they're from the tax-collectors," said Dick.
the force of workers available
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
considered individually
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
plural of “store” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe they're from the tax-collectors," said Dick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's the misfortun' of being men of property.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe they're from the tax-collectors," said Dick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading DICK FALLS INTO A TRAP.
at the time that
From this reading One evening, when Dick and Fosdick returned from their respective stores, a surprise awaited them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "The postman left some letters for you," said the servant, as she opened the door to admit them.
Chapter 12 of Fame and Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 12 holds 160 sentences of Fame and Fortune, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Fame and Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 12 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 Fame and Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3601 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21632 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21632, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 300 minutes of reading across 721 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fame and Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Fame and Fortune 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 Fame and Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
