Chapter 9 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MORE ABOUT MR. HUXTER. Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand. "So this is Ben," he said. "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
Chapter 9 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
give a benediction to
From this reading “"Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
lacking in physical beauty or proportion
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
possessive form of “nephew” — a son of your brother or sister
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
-ing form of “perceive” — to become aware of through the senses
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.”
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 “"Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!”
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 Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading MORE ABOUT MR.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
give a benediction to
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
a man of refinement
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "So this is Ben," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
lacking in physical beauty or proportion
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HUXTER.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "So this is Ben," he said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading MORE ABOUT MR.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MORE ABOUT MR.
possessive form of “nephew” — a son of your brother or sister
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
-ing form of “perceive” — to become aware of through the senses
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
on the contrary
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So this is Ben," he said.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So this is Ben," he said.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "So this is Ben," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Ephraim Huxter, on perceiving Ben, wreathed his homely features into what was intended for a gracious smile, and, rising, took his nephew's rather unwilling hand.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Bless me, what a young gentleman he's grown, to be sure!
Chapter 9 of Luck and Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 9 holds 114 sentences of Luck and Pluck, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Luck and Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 9 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 Luck and Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54265 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54265, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Luck and Pluck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Luck and Pluck 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 Luck and Pluck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
