Chapter 23 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE. Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president. "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated. "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding. "But I am only a boy!"
Chapter 23 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)
From this reading “"Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.”
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading “WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.”
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading “"Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.”
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading “WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
In this reading “Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.”
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 "But I am only a boy!"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But I am only a boy!"
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
a youthful male person
From this reading "But I am only a boy!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I am only a boy!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)
From this reading "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I am only a boy!"
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
and nothing more
From this reading "But I am only a boy!"
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT GRIT OVERHEARD BEHIND THE ELM-TREE.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Grit listened with incredulous amazement to the words of the bank president.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," answered Mr. Graves, nodding.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You mean to send me?" he ejaculated.
Chapter 23 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 109 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.
Chapter 23 holds 109 sentences of Grit, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54195, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 358 minutes of reading across 860 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Grit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Grit 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 Grit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
