Chapter 7 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SPITEFUL WOMAN. Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen. Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon. “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother. “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
Chapter 7 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
any thing at all
From this reading ““Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading ““I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading ““Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading ““I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.”
showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
From this reading “A SPITEFUL WOMAN.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.”
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.
become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
In this reading ““I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.”
In this reading “Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.”
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 A SPITEFUL WOMAN.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
any thing at all
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
the act of departing
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
not any; not one
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
in the near future
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
From this reading A SPITEFUL WOMAN.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Both his father and mother were surprised to see him back so soon.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Randolph lost no time in going home to report what he had seen.
during the time that
From this reading “Did you see anything of Gilbert while you were out?” asked his father.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A SPITEFUL WOMAN.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am glad you came home early,” said his mother.
Chapter 7 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 116 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 7 holds 116 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 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 7 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 Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55598 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55598, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 383 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shifting For Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Shifting For Himself 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 Shifting For Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
