Chapter 15 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. SYLVESTER'S BIRTHDAY. The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel. It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus: "DEAR RUPERT: To-morrow is my birthday.
Chapter 15 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “SYLVESTER'S BIRTHDAY.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:”
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading “The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.”
having a handwritten signature
From this reading “It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:”
a county in southwestern England on the Bristol Channel
From this reading “The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.”
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 “The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.”
In this reading “It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:”
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 The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading SYLVESTER'S BIRTHDAY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
dearly loved
From this reading "DEAR RUPERT: To-morrow is my birthday.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "DEAR RUPERT: To-morrow is my birthday.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "DEAR RUPERT: To-morrow is my birthday.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
having a handwritten signature
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
a county in southwestern England on the Bristol Channel
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SYLVESTER'S BIRTHDAY.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day Rupert received a letter at the Somerset Hotel.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "DEAR RUPERT: To-morrow is my birthday.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was signed by Frank Sylvester, and ran thus:
Chapter 15 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 15 holds 136 sentences of Rupert's Ambition, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 15 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.
