Chapter 1 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 111 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 Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME. "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?" "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise. "What made you think of him?" "I thought I remembered the name.
Chapter 1 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 111 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.
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading “"Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
someone who hunts game
From this reading “RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.”
past form of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “"I thought I remembered the name.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “"Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.”
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
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 “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
In this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.”
In this reading “"Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.”
In this reading “"Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"What made you think of him?"”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.
someone who hunts game
From this reading RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought I remembered the name.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "What made you think of him?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
past form of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading "I thought I remembered the name.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RICHARD HUNTER AT HOME.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "Hiram Bates," answered Fosdick, in some surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What made you think of him?"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought I remembered the name.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
which person or people
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What made you think of him?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Fosdick," said Richard Hunter, "what was the name of that man who owed your father two thousand dollars, which he never paid him?"
Chapter 1 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 111 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 111 sentences of Mark the Match Boy, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 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 Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3757 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53071 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53071, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark the Match Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Mark the Match Boy 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 Mark the Match Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
