Chapter 1 of Making His Way 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 I
Chapter 1 of Making His Way is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram. A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse. He hurried to meet his stepbrother. "Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously. "Yes."
Chapter 1 of Making His Way 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “"Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.”
confined by bonds
From this reading “Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.”
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading “Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.”
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading “He hurried to meet his stepbrother.”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “"Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.”
an idea that is suggested
From this reading “Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.”
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 Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading "Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
confined by bonds
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hurried to meet his stepbrother.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading He hurried to meet his stepbrother.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "Is that a telegram, Mark?" he asked, anxiously.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
come together
From this reading He hurried to meet his stepbrother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
a brother who has only one parent in common with you
From this reading He hurried to meet his stepbrother.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
an idea that is suggested
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Frank's heart gave a great bound at the suggestion of a telegram.
a special situation
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He hurried to meet his stepbrother.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading A telegram could mean but one thing--that his mother had become suddenly worse.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
Chapter 1 of Making His Way 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 1 holds 114 sentences of Making His Way, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Making His Way 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 1 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 Way by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3428 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13803 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13803, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 686 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Making His Way section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Making His Way 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 Way, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
