Chapter 23 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHO WAS THE THIEF? When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts. His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store. But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late. "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
Chapter 23 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading “His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.”
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading “"You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.”
travel across or pass over
From this reading “When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.”
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading “His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.”
a town in southeast New Mexico
From this reading “When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.”
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “WHO WAS THE THIEF?”
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 “When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.”
as might be expected
In this reading “But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.”
In this reading “But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.”
In this reading “But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.”
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 His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
later than; following
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
travel across or pass over
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
a town in southeast New Mexico
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
not in physical motion
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading But it was out of the question to remain at home, so he started about half an hour after the usual time, and of course arrived late.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
at the time that
From this reading When Roswell rose the next morning he felt cross and out of sorts.
which person or people
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading His head still ached a little, and he wished he were not obliged to go to the store.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are late this morning," said Mr. Baker.
Chapter 23 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 23 holds 185 sentences of Mark the Match Boy, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 23 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.
