Chapter 4 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN EXCITING CONTEST. Jed was not mistaken. When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces. "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson. "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
Chapter 4 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
not being in a specified place
From this reading “"Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.”
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “"Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.”
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading “AN EXCITING CONTEST.”
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading “"Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “AN EXCITING CONTEST.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “Jed was not mistaken.”
an establishment maintained at public expense in order to provide housing for the poor and homeless
From this reading “When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.”
go sour or spoil
From this reading “When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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.
not being in a specified place
From this reading "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN EXCITING CONTEST.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading AN EXCITING CONTEST.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading AN EXCITING CONTEST.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jed was not mistaken.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading Jed was not mistaken.
a form of address for a man
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Jed was not mistaken.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.
an establishment maintained at public expense in order to provide housing for the poor and homeless
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
go sour or spoil
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jed was not mistaken.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
at the time that
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.
Chapter 4 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 4 holds 103 sentences of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 4 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 Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5160 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54350 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54350, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 430 minutes of reading across 1032 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jed, the Poorhouse Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy 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 Jed, the Poorhouse Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
