Chapter 4 of Out for Business is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Out for Business is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED. Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time. He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself. Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
Chapter 4 of Out for Business is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.”
totally perplexed and mixed up
From this reading “TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.”
deeply or completely
From this reading “Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.”
English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)
From this reading “TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.”
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 jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.”
be highly noticeable
In this reading “He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
totally perplexed and mixed up
From this reading TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He jumped out of bed and hastily dressed himself.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
deeply or completely
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)
From this reading TALBOT IS MYSTIFIED.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
up to a particular time
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Robert slept soundly, and didn't wake till near breakfast-time.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he went to the door of his chamber, and tried to open it.
Chapter 4 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 4 holds 158 sentences of Out for Business, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 4 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 Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4464 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 893 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Out for Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Out for Business 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 Out for Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
