Chapter 20 of Out for Business is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Out for Business is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN. For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him. "Do you hear? Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip. "Let me go!" returned Robert.
Chapter 20 of Out for Business is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.”
travel across or pass over
From this reading “THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.”
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
travel across or pass over
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you hear?
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Let me go!" returned Robert.
the act of grasping
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Do you hear?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me go!" returned Robert.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
a particular point in time
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
recurring again and again
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Let me go!" returned Robert.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ESCAPE OF CROSS AND HUSKIN.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading Give me that money," repeated Huskin, and tightened his grip.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For the moment Robert was dumfounded, for he had not dreamed that this pleasant stranger was about to attack him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you hear?
Chapter 20 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 20 holds 134 sentences of Out for Business, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 20 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.
