Chapter 12 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED. At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain. Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so. Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him. "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
Chapter 12 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.”
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.”
past form of “instruct” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.”
large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years
From this reading “At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.”
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading “Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.”
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading “"Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."”
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.
In this reading “"Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."”
In this reading “At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.”
In this reading “Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.”
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 Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
past form of “instruct” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading PERCY DIXON IS BEWILDERED.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jed had been instructed to bow his thanks, and did so.
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading "Mother," he said, "if that boy isn't Jed, it is his twin brother."
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At the end of the first act Jed and George Osprey were called before the curtain.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Percy watched his face eagerly, for this brought Jed within a few feet of him.
Chapter 12 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 12 holds 129 sentences of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 12 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.
