Chapter 26 of Helping Himself is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Helping Himself is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth. “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked. The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity. “Does he owe you money?” he inquired. “No,” answered Ford, impatiently.
Chapter 26 of Helping Himself is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading “Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.”
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading “Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.”
in this general vicinity
From this reading ““Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading ““No,” answered Ford, impatiently.”
a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading ““Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.”
someone who asks a question
From this reading “The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.”
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading “The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.”
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading “Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.”
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 went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “No,” answered Ford, impatiently.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Does he owe you money?” he inquired.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
in this general vicinity
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “No,” answered Ford, impatiently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Does he owe you money?” he inquired.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Does he owe you money?” he inquired.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” answered Ford, impatiently.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “Does he owe you money?” he inquired.
someone who asks a question
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Is there a man named Joel Barton living hereabouts?” he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The station master took his cigar from his mouth and surveyed his questioner with some curiosity.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
which person or people
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Willis Ford went to the station master, who stood at the door with a cheap cigar in his mouth.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Does he owe you money?” he inquired.
Chapter 26 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 26 holds 92 sentences of Helping Himself, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 26 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.
