Chapter 20 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JED'S POOR PROSPECTS. Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram. The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed. "What has happened, Jed?" he asked. "I am discharged!
Chapter 20 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
having lost your job
From this reading “"I am discharged!”
having the place or position changed
From this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.”
being perceived or observed
From this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.”
(mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation
From this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
plural of “prospect” — the possibility of future success
From this reading “JED'S POOR PROSPECTS.”
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
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.
someone who transmits messages by telegraph
In this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am discharged!
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What has happened, Jed?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
having lost your job
From this reading "I am discharged!
having the place or position changed
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "What has happened, Jed?" he asked.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What has happened, Jed?" he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am discharged!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JED'S POOR PROSPECTS.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
being perceived or observed
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
on one occasion
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
(mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading JED'S POOR PROSPECTS.
plural of “prospect” — the possibility of future success
From this reading JED'S POOR PROSPECTS.
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The telegraph operator noticed at once that he looked disturbed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Jed walked around to the office of his friend Harry Bertram.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What has happened, Jed?" he asked.
Chapter 20 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 20 holds 151 sentences of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Jed, the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 20 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.
