Chapter 12 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TIM IS UNMASKED. Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way. "Where are you goin', now?" he asked. "Have you been to the bank?" "Yes," answered Sam.
Chapter 12 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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 “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"Yes," answered Sam.”
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “"Have you been to the bank?"”
United States pioneer photographer famous for his portraits; was the official Union photographer for the American Civil War (1823-1896)
From this reading “Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.”
propel through the air
From this reading “Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.”
past form of “unmask” — reveal the true nature of
From this reading “TIM IS UNMASKED.”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," answered Sam.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading "Have you been to the bank?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Have you been to the bank?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
United States pioneer photographer famous for his portraits; was the official Union photographer for the American Civil War (1823-1896)
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you been to the bank?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TIM IS UNMASKED.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Have you been to the bank?"
propel through the air
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TIM IS UNMASKED.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
past form of “unmask” — reveal the true nature of
From this reading TIM IS UNMASKED.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Before Sam had gone far Tim Brady managed to throw himself in his way.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," answered Sam.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where are you goin', now?" he asked.
Chapter 12 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 12 holds 237 sentences of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 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 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 12 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.
