Chapter XXXI of Making His Mark, “Ransom,” is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter XXXI of Making His Mark, “Ransom,” is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch. After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business. The latter promised him his assistance if required. "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said. "Between us we must circumvent him.
Chapter XXXI of Making His Mark, “Ransom,” is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
surround so as to force to give up
From this reading “"Between us we must circumvent him.”
marked by skill in deception
From this reading “"That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.”
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading “GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.”
past form of “purchase” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.”
money demanded for the return of a captured person
From this reading “GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “"That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.”
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading “After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.”
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 “"That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.”
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 GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
later than; following
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading "Between us we must circumvent him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
surround so as to force to give up
From this reading "Between us we must circumvent him.
marked by skill in deception
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Between us we must circumvent him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
past form of “purchase” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
money demanded for the return of a captured person
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That man, the superintendent, is a crafty old fox," he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The latter promised him his assistance if required.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Between us we must circumvent him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Between us we must circumvent him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading GERALD purchased a horse, and kept on his way to Ransom with Joshua Burdoch.
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading After some reflection he told his Yankee friend his business.
Chapter 31 of Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 80 sentences of Making His Mark, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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.
Common questions about reading Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4739 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55217 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55217, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 948 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Making His Mark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Making His Mark 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 Making His Mark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
