Chapter 21 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida. The house seemed lonely without her. Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts. But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate. "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
Chapter 21 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 76 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.
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading “"It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.”
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading “AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.”
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading “Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “The house seemed lonely without her.”
plural of “mishap” — an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading “AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.”
possessive form of “rachel” — (Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading “AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.”
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading “But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
divisible by two
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The house seemed lonely without her.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house seemed lonely without her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading The house seemed lonely without her.
something that is lost
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
plural of “mishap” — an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
not any; not one
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
possessive form of “rachel” — (Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The house seemed lonely without her.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
not in physical motion
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
information about recent and important events
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
up to a particular time
From this reading Not until then did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida," the cooper said.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS The week slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The house seemed lonely without her.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading But worse even than the sense of loss was the uncertainty as to her fate.
Chapter 21 of Jack's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 21 holds 76 sentences of Jack's Ward, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Jack's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 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 21 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 Jack's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10729 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10729, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jack's Ward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Jack's Ward 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 Jack's Ward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
