Chapter 14 of Joe's Luck is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Joe's Luck is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner. In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half. Joe began to feel uneasy. “This won’t do,” he said to himself. “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
Chapter 14 of Joe's Luck is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to
From this reading “In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.”
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading “THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.”
money in the form of bills or coins
From this reading “In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.”
the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.”
using the minimum of time or resources necessary for effectiveness
From this reading “In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.”
not having enough money to pay for necessities
From this reading ““At this rate I shall soon be penniless.”
a building where people go to eat
From this reading “THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.”
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 THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Joe began to feel uneasy.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
money in the form of bills or coins
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
using the minimum of time or resources necessary for effectiveness
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Joe began to feel uneasy.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
according to the clock
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
not having enough money to pay for necessities
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
made less in size or amount or degree
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
a building where people go to eat
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
in the near future
From this reading “At this rate I shall soon be penniless.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading Joe began to feel uneasy.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THE FOILED ASSASSIN About four o’clock Joe went into a restaurant and got some dinner.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading In spite of his wish to be economical, his dinner bill amounted to a dollar and a half, and now his cash in hand was reduced to two dollars and a half.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This won’t do,” he said to himself.
Chapter 14 of Joe's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 14 holds 96 sentences of Joe's Luck, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Joe's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 14 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 Joe's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12823 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12823, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 826 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe's Luck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Joe's Luck 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 Joe's Luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
