Chapter 16 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PLOT AGAINST GILBERT. The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington. A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside. “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore. “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
Chapter 16 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading “A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.”
plural of “department” — a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading “A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.”
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading ““I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “A PLOT AGAINST GILBERT.”
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading ““How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.”
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading “The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.”
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading ““How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.”
a request to be present
From this reading “The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.”
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 “A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.”
In this reading “The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.”
be contingent on
In this reading ““I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.”
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 PLOT AGAINST GILBERT.
not being in a specified place
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A PLOT AGAINST GILBERT.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
plural of “department” — a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading A PLOT AGAINST GILBERT.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading A PLOT AGAINST GILBERT.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
express in words
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
in a serious manner
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
term of address for a man
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
a request to be present
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading The next day Mr. Sands received an unexpected summons to Washington.
which person or people
From this reading A brother, who was clerk in one of the departments, was seriously ill, and he was summoned to his bedside.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I cannot say; it will depend on how I find my brother.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How long shall you be absent, sir?” inquired Simon Moore.
Chapter 16 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 16 holds 129 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 16 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.
