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Shifting For Himself
Shifting For Himself

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Horatio, Jr. Alger • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Shifting For Himself
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A NEW ARRANGEMENT.
About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.
He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.
Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.
“You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Shifting For Himself

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A NEW ARRANGEMENT.
/ə nuː ərˈeɪndʒmənt/
Line 2
About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.
/əˈbaʊt naɪn əˈklɑːk ðæt ˈiːvnɪŋ ˈɡɪlbərts trʌŋk ərˈaɪvd/
Line 3
He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.
Line 4
Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.
Line 5
“You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

Learner Dictionary

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.

arrangement noun US /ərˈeɪndʒmənt/

the thing arranged or agreed to

From this reading “A NEW ARRANGEMENT.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bureau noun US /ˈbjʊroʊ/

an administrative unit of government

From this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
clothing noun US /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/

a covering designed to be worn on a person's body

From this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contracted adjective US /ˈkɑːntræktəd/

reduced in size or pulled together

From this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drawers noun US /drɔːrz/

underpants worn by men

From this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gilbert's noun US /ˈɡɪlbərts/

possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unpacked verb US /ənˈpækt/

past form of “unpack” — remove from its packing

From this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unpacking verb US /ənˈpækɪŋ/

-ing form of “unpack” — remove from its packing

From this reading “Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

257,448 times in 426,211 chapters
About nine preposition + noun

In this reading “About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.”

3,227 times in 426,211 chapters
NEW ARRANGEMENT adjective + noun

In this reading “A NEW ARRANGEMENT.”

547 times in 426,211 chapters
took up verb + adjective counted as “take up”

pursue or resume

In this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

48,411 times in 426,211 chapters
with satisfaction preposition + noun

In this reading “He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.”

4,049 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 54

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A NEW ARRANGEMENT.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ARRANGEMENTnounUS /ərˈeɪndʒmənt/

the thing arranged or agreed to

From this reading A NEW ARRANGEMENT.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bedsteadnoun

the framework of a bed

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bureaunounUS /ˈbjʊroʊ/

an administrative unit of government

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
clothingnounUS /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/

a covering designed to be worn on a person's body

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contractedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntræktəd/

reduced in size or pulled together

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drawersnounUS /drɔːrz/

underpants worn by men

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
extraadjectiveUS /ˈekstrə/

more than is needed, desired, or required

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gilbert'snounUS /ˈɡɪlbərts/

possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haven't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

Pending verification
HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Ingalls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

Pending verification
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading A NEW ARRANGEMENT.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ninenounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
puttingnounUS /ˈpʌtɪŋ/

hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
satisfactionnounUS /ˌsætəˈsfækʃən/

the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trunknounUS /trʌŋk/

the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber

From this reading About nine o’clock that evening Gilbert’s trunk arrived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unpackedverbUS /ənˈpækt/

past form of “unpack” — remove from its packing

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unpackingverbUS /ənˈpækɪŋ/

-ing form of “unpack” — remove from its packing

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mr. Ingalls stepped in as he was unpacking.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He received it with satisfaction, and unpacked it at once, putting a part of his clothing into the drawers of a small bureau, which, with the bedstead and one chair, took up about all the space in his contracted chamber.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You haven’t got much extra room,” he said.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

What does chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself contain?

Chapter 11 holds 122 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of Shifting For Himself?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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.

Questions about reading Shifting For Himself

Common questions about reading Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Shifting For Himself?

Yes. All 4606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55598 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Shifting For Himself is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55598, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Shifting For Himself take to read?

About 383 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Shifting For Himself section by section

How to work through Shifting For Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Shifting For Himself

Words and structures a reader meets early in Shifting For Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

School-fellows
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Burton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boarding-school
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ferment
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.