Chapter 4 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SAM'S FINANCES. Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated. He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control. Now he was no longer his own master. He must go and come at the will of his employer.
Chapter 4 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading “He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.”
expected hopefully
From this reading “Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.”
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading “He must go and come at the will of his employer.”
assets in the form of money
From this reading “SAM'S FINANCES.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “SAM'S FINANCES.”
possessive form of “sam” — a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “SAM'S FINANCES.”
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 Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
expected hopefully
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
power to direct or determine
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
assets in the form of money
From this reading SAM'S FINANCES.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
for more time
From this reading Now he was no longer his own master.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Now he was no longer his own master.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
not any; not one
From this reading Now he was no longer his own master.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he was no longer his own master.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
and nothing more
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
possessive form of “sam” — a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading SAM'S FINANCES.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now he was no longer his own master.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He must go and come at the will of his employer.
Chapter 4 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 4 holds 132 sentences of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 4 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 Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26043 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26043, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It 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 Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
