Chapter 12 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RANDOLPH’S CALL. Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert. His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged. “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother. “Why not?” asked her husband.
Chapter 12 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 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.
recognized or made known or admitted
From this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
in a free manner
From this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.”
possessive form of “hero” — a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.”
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
From this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
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.
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
In this reading “His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.”
In this reading “Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.”
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.
recognized or made known or admitted
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Why not?” asked her husband.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading RANDOLPH’S CALL.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
communicated in words
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
in a free manner
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Why not?” asked her husband.
possessive form of “hero” — a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “Why not?” asked her husband.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RANDOLPH’S CALL.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Randolph had expressed to his father in the morning an intention of calling upon Gilbert.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
From this reading His motive was not interest in our hero’s welfare, but curiosity to find out how he was situated, as indeed he freely acknowledged.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why not?” asked her husband.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I wouldn’t call if I were you, Randolph,” said his mother.
Chapter 12 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 123 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.
Chapter 12 holds 123 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 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.
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.
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 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.
