Chapter 31 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY. Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity. He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause. Should he tell her the scrape he had got into? He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
Chapter 31 of Luck and Pluck is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 “BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.”
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading “Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.”
(physics) opposition to magnetic flux (analogous to electric resistance)
From this reading “He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.”
scratch repeatedly
From this reading “Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?”
having relatively great weight; heavy
From this reading “He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.”
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 “He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.”
being one hundred more than two hundred
In this reading “He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.”
In this reading “Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.”
return home
In this reading “Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.”
In this reading “He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.”
get involved in or with
In this reading “Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?”
In this reading “He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.”
In this reading “Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.”
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 BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
the act of discovering something
From this reading BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
ten 10s
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading BEN MAKES A DISCOVERY.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
(physics) opposition to magnetic flux (analogous to electric resistance)
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
scratch repeatedly
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
express in words
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Should he tell her the scrape he had got into?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He felt a natural reluctance to do that, nor was he by any means satisfied that she would pay the money if he did.
having relatively great weight; heavy
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Ben went home slowly, in a state of great perplexity.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew his mother too well to think she would pay him three hundred dollars without weighty cause.
Chapter 31 of Luck and Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 105 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 31 holds 105 sentences of Luck and Pluck, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Luck and Pluck by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 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 31 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.
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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.
