Chapter 1 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Nat, where have you been?" "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair. "Fishin'? And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice. "Nobody said I could go," answered the boy, firmly.
Chapter 1 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “"Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.”
with resolute determination
From this reading “"Nobody said I could go," answered the boy, firmly.”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “"Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.”
easily agitated
From this reading “And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.”
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading “"Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “"Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “"Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.”
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 "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Nat, where have you been?"
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
rid of obstructions
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
with resolute determination
From this reading "Nobody said I could go," answered the boy, firmly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fishin'?
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Nat, where have you been?"
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Nobody said I could go," answered the boy, firmly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nat, where have you been?"
easily agitated
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Nobody said I could go," answered the boy, firmly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Nat, where have you been?"
which person or people
From this reading And who said you could go fishin'?" demanded Abner Balberry, in his high, nervous voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Nat, where have you been?"
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading "Been fishing," answered the boy addressed, a sturdy youth of sixteen, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair.
Chapter 1 of From Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 1 holds 102 sentences of From Farm to Fortune, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of From Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 1 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 Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22565 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22565, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 822 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From Farm to Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of From Farm to 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 From Farm to Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
