Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Five Hundred Dollars
Five Hundred Dollars

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of Five Hundred Dollars is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Horatio, Jr. Alger • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Five Hundred Dollars
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.
Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.
They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.
It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.
Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Five Hundred Dollars

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of Five Hundred Dollars is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.
Line 2
Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.
/ˈmɪstər ˈhɑːrdɪŋ wɑːz nɑːt ə ˈlɪtəreri mæn ənd hɪz ˈpeɪpərz wʊd ˈhɑːrdli hæv bɪn ʌv ˈeni ˈvæljuː tuː ə ˈpʌblɪʃər/
Line 3
They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.
/ðeɪ kənˈsɪstəd ˈprɪnsɪpli ʌv ˈletərz sʌm ʌv ðem ten jɪrz oʊld/
Line 4
It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.
Line 5
Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

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.

consisted verb US /kənˈsɪstəd/

past form of “consist” — originate

From this reading “They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fifteen noun US /fɪfˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading “Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Harding noun US /ˈhɑːrdɪŋ/

29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)

From this reading “Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
literary adjective US /ˈlɪtəreri/

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading “Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
obtains verb US /əbˈteɪnz/

third-person singular of “obtain” — come into possession of

From this reading “BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
principally adverb US /ˈprɪnsɪpli/

for the most part

From this reading “They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
publisher noun US /ˈpʌblɪʃər/

a firm in the publishing business

From this reading “Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
related adjective US /rɪˈleɪtɪd/

being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics

From this reading “Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 61

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 Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BERT

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

From this reading BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.

Pending verification
CLEWnoun

a ball of yarn or cord or thread

From this reading BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consistedverbUS /kənˈsɪstəd/

past form of “consist” — originate

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fifteennounUS /fɪfˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glancedverbUS /ɡlænst/

past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
habitnounUS /ˈhæbət/

an established custom

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HardingnounUS /ˈhɑːrdɪŋ/

29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IMPORTANTadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
literaryadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəreri/

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OBTAINSverbUS /əbˈteɪnz/

third-person singular of “obtain” — come into possession of

From this reading BERT OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT CLEW.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
principallyadverbUS /ˈprɪnsɪpli/

for the most part

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
publishernounUS /ˈpʌblɪʃər/

a firm in the publishing business

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Ralph

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

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Pending verification
relatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈleɪtɪd/

being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It seemed to have been a habit of Ralph Harding to keep his letters, though he probably set no great value upon them.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
valuenounUS /ˈvæljuː/

a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Bert opened fifteen or twenty, and glanced over them, only to find that they related to matters in which he felt no interest whatever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Mr. Harding was not a literary man, and his papers would hardly have been of any value to a publisher.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading They consisted principally of letters, some of them ten years old.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 30 of Five Hundred Dollars by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 30 of Five Hundred Dollars contain?

Chapter 30 holds 110 sentences of Five Hundred Dollars, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 of Five Hundred Dollars by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 30 of Five Hundred Dollars?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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 30 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 30 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 Five Hundred Dollars

Common questions about reading Five Hundred Dollars by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Five Hundred Dollars?

Yes. All 4594 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Five Hundred Dollars is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #21270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Five Hundred Dollars take to read?

About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Five Hundred Dollars section by section

How to work through Five Hundred Dollars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of Five Hundred Dollars 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 Five Hundred Dollars

Words and structures a reader meets early in Five Hundred Dollars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Arrival
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Hundred Dollars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lakeville
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Hundred Dollars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Slowly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Hundred Dollars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Through
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Hundred Dollars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.