Chapter 31 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN BOONE. Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible. It would be hard to find a man less ambitious. His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness. He was as slow in speech as in action.
Chapter 31 of Rupert's Ambition is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “BEN BOONE.”
an American pioneer and guide and explorer (1734-1820)
From this reading “BEN BOONE.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading “Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.”
a new personification of a familiar idea
From this reading “His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.”
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading “His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.”
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading “His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.”
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.
finish a task completely
In this reading “Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.”
In this reading “Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.”
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 Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading He was as slow in speech as in action.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN BOONE.
an American pioneer and guide and explorer (1734-1820)
From this reading BEN BOONE.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was as slow in speech as in action.
a new personification of a familiar idea
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
loosely articulated or constructed
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading He was as slow in speech as in action.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His movements were slow, and he seemed the incarnation of laziness.
which person or people
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ben Boone was a tall, loose-jointed man with a shambling gait, who looked as if he wished to get through life as easily as possible.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be hard to find a man less ambitious.
Chapter 31 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 31 holds 71 sentences of Rupert's Ambition, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Rupert's Ambition by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 31 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.
