Chapter 1 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket. “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact. Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.” This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end. He got two prizes of a penny each.
Chapter 1 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
liveliness and eagerness
From this reading “This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.””
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading ““Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.”
plural of “package” — a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.””
plural of “prize” — something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
From this reading “He got two prizes of a penny each.”
walk heavily
From this reading ““Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.”
provide with power and authority
From this reading ““Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.”
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.
a small pocket in a man's vest
In this reading ““Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.”
In this reading “Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.””
In this reading “This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.”
In this reading “This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.”
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 “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
liveliness and eagerness
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
and nothing more
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
plural of “package” — a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
plural of “prize” — something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
From this reading He got two prizes of a penny each.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
make square
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
walk heavily
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Just keep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.”
provide with power and authority
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerk's luck was at an end.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, that's a fact.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Here's your prize, mister,” said Paul, drawing out a ten-cent stamp from his vest pocket.
Chapter 1 of Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 132 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 1 holds 132 sentences of Paul the Peddler, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 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 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 Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3542 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Paul the Peddler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Paul the Peddler 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 Paul the Peddler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
