Chapter 20 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW IT WAS ARRANGED. "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur." "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously. "That you may stay a month on trial. If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
Chapter 20 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “"What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.”
the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading “If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."”
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading “If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."”
not used up
From this reading “"Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “"Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."”
giving satisfaction
From this reading “If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."”
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “"Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."”
the act of testing something
From this reading “"That you may stay a month on trial.”
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," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading HOW IT WAS ARRANGED.
the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW IT WAS ARRANGED.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading HOW IT WAS ARRANGED.
for more time
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
not used up
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
giving satisfaction
From this reading If the arrangement proves satisfactory, you can remain longer."
express in words
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
the act of testing something
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HOW IT WAS ARRANGED.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What did he say?" asked Sam, anxiously.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "That you may stay a month on trial.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sam," said the young student, the next morning, "I have spoken to my father about your remaining here as a companion to Arthur."
Chapter 20 of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 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 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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.
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.
