Chapter 14 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PLEASANT EVENING. Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother. “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.” “We had important business to talk over, mamma.” “Very important, no doubt.
Chapter 14 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
in a hearty manner
From this reading ““I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.””
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading ““I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.””
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading “Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading ““We had important business to talk over, mamma.””
have and control fully and exclusively
From this reading ““I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.””
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.”
required or under orders
From this reading ““I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.””
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.
In this reading ““We had important business to talk over, mamma.””
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading ““I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.””
In this reading “A PLEASANT EVENING.”
speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion
In this reading ““We had important business to talk over, mamma.””
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 PLEASANT EVENING.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “Very important, no doubt.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading A PLEASANT EVENING.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
of great significance or value
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
have and control fully and exclusively
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
not any; not one
From this reading “Very important, no doubt.
on one occasion
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
above and across; more than
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading A PLEASANT EVENING.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
required or under orders
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very important, no doubt.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We had important business to talk over, mamma.”
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Gilbert was presented to a pleasant-looking lady, whom Laura introduced as her mother.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am glad to see you, Mr. Greyson,” she said, cordially; “I supposed Laura would bring you in here at once, but it seemed to be her intention to monopolize you.”
Chapter 14 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 14 holds 147 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 14 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.
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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.
