Chapter 1 of Halsey & Co. is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Halsey & Co. is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said: "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir." "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants. If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant." The porter went back to the outer office.
Chapter 1 of Halsey & Co. is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 financier who owns or is an executive in a bank
From this reading “Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:”
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading “The porter went back to the outer office.”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:”
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading “If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “"Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.”
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 "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The porter went back to the outer office.
a financier who owns or is an executive in a bank
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
a boy who delivers newspapers
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
not one, and not any
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading The porter went back to the outer office.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
possessing material wealth
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
term of address for a man
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
express in words
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If it's a situation, tell him we have none vacant."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The porter went back to the outer office.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Go and tell him to let you know what he wants.
at the time that
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
which person or people
From this reading Mr. Barron, the rich banker in Broad street, was seated at his desk in his private office one day when the door was opened by the porter, who said:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There's a newsboy out here who says he must see you, sir."
Chapter 1 of Halsey & Co. by H. K. (Harvey King) Shackleford holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of Halsey & Co., unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Halsey & Co. by H. K. (Harvey King) Shackleford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Halsey & Co. by H. K. (Harvey King) Shackleford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21963 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21963, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 351 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Halsey & Co. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Halsey & Co. 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 Halsey & Co., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
