Chapter 20 of Helping Himself is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Helping Himself is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step. The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall. “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said. Willis Ford nodded superciliously. “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
Chapter 20 of Helping Himself is here in full — 107 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.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
possessive form of “broker” — a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
let have
From this reading “The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.”
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
on a floor above
From this reading ““Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.”
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading “Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.”
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 Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
possessive form of “broker” — a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
let have
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Willis Ford nodded superciliously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
with a sneer; in an uncomplimentary sneering manner
From this reading Willis Ford nodded superciliously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
on a floor above
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?” he said.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Your stay in the house will be short, young man,” he thought.
Chapter 20 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 20 holds 107 sentences of Helping Himself, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 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 20 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 Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4051 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5833 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5833, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Helping Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Helping Himself 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 Helping Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
