Chapter 20 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. PACKARD'S GIFT. It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61. He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child. "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
Chapter 20 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
-ing form of “adopt” — choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
From this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
something acquired without compensation
From this reading “PACKARD'S GIFT.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “"What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.”
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 not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
In this reading “He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
-ing form of “adopt” — choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
a young person of either sex
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading PACKARD'S GIFT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
not any; not one
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
on one occasion
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PACKARD'S GIFT.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had gone to bed at once on reaching the hotel, and had not heard of Rupert's adopting a child.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
up to a particular time
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not until the next day that Giles Packard knew of the tragedy in No. 61.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is this I hear, Rupert?" he asked, on meeting the bell-boy.
Chapter 20 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 96 sentences of Rupert's Ambition, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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.
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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.
