Chapter 38 of Helping Himself is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Helping Himself is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot. From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds. Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction. “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more! I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
Chapter 38 of Helping Himself is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading “Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.”
serving as an essential component
From this reading “The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.”
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading “The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.”
station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
From this reading “The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.”
English portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy (1723-1792)
From this reading “From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.”
American architect (1759-1828)
From this reading “From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.”
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 Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
uttered without voice
From this reading Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
serving as an essential component
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
let have
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
and nothing more
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
on one occasion
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
English portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy (1723-1792)
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Herbert breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
American architect (1759-1828)
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The train from Chicago had just reached the Grand Central Depot.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
which person or people
From this reading From the parlor car descended two boys who are well known to us, Grant Thornton and Herbert Reynolds.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder if papa knows we are to come by this train?”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Oh, Grant,” he said, “how glad I am to see New York once more!
Chapter 38 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 38 holds 79 sentences of Helping Himself, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Helping Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 38 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.
