Chapter 8 of From Canal Boy to President is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of From Canal Boy to President is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WAYS AND MEANS. James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work. "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply. "Have you ever worked at the business?" "Yes."
Chapter 8 of From Canal Boy to President is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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 woodworker who makes or repairs wooden objects
From this reading “James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.”
properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient
From this reading “"I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.”
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “WAYS AND MEANS.”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “"Have you ever worked at the business?"”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
later than; following
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Have you ever worked at the business?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "Have you ever worked at the business?"
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
a woodworker who makes or repairs wooden objects
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
at any time
From this reading "Have you ever worked at the business?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you ever worked at the business?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
in the company of; together with
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading James called on the carpenter after supper and inquired if he could supply him with work.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Have you ever worked at the business?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I may be able to if you are competent," was the reply.
Chapter 8 of From Canal Boy to President by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 8 holds 84 sentences of From Canal Boy to President, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of From Canal Boy to President by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 8 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 From Canal Boy to President by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2945 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14964 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14964, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 245 minutes of reading across 589 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From Canal Boy to President section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of From Canal Boy to President to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in From Canal Boy to President, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
