Chapter 20 of Rufus and Rose is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Rufus and Rose is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HUMPY. "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard. Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window. If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening. Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
Chapter 20 of Rufus and Rose is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading “If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.”
coming down or downward
From this reading “Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.”
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “"I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.”
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “"I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.”
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading “If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.”
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.
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
terminate
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
coming down or downward
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HUMPY.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
on one occasion
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
up to a particular time
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
precisely as stated
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Besides, if there was any one in the room below, he would very likely be seen descending from the window.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Meanwhile some other way of escape might suggest itself.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If this plan were adopted at all, he must wait till evening.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I might break the window," thought Rufus; but it occurred to him at once that the noise would probably be heard.
Chapter 20 of Rufus and Rose by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of Rufus and Rose, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Rufus and Rose by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Rufus and Rose by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25967 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25967, 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 Rufus and Rose section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Rufus and Rose 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 Rufus and Rose, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
