Chapter 10 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BELL-BOY'S EXPERIENCES. It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character. The man's face was terrible to look upon. His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning. He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
Chapter 10 of Rupert's Ambition 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.
past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading “It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.”
become wider
From this reading “His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.”
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading “A BELL-BOY'S EXPERIENCES.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.”
an insane person
From this reading “It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.”
sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
From this reading “He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.”
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 “It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.”
In this reading “It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.”
In this reading “He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.”
look on as or consider
In this reading “The man's face was terrible to look upon.”
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 A BELL-BOY'S EXPERIENCES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A BELL-BOY'S EXPERIENCES.
a youthful male person
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
become wider
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading A BELL-BOY'S EXPERIENCES.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The man's face was terrible to look upon.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man's face was terrible to look upon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man's face was terrible to look upon.
an insane person
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
by chance
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The man's face was terrible to look upon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He was a man not perhaps robust or strong, but too strong for a boy of sixteen.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The man's face was terrible to look upon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was evident that the guest whom Rupert had conducted to his room was a maniac of the most dangerous character.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His small, ferret-like eyes seemed to dilate with ferocious cunning.
Chapter 10 of Rupert's Ambition 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 10 holds 141 sentences of Rupert's Ambition, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Rupert's Ambition 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 10 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 Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5178 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54621 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54621, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 431 minutes of reading across 1036 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rupert's Ambition section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Rupert's Ambition 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 Rupert's Ambition, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
