Chapter 18 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN HUMBLE FRIEND. Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black. “Shine yer boots?” Gilbert shook his head. “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
Chapter 18 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
past form of “accost” — speak to someone
From this reading “Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.”
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading ““Shine yer boots?””
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading ““Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.””
having lost your job
From this reading “Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.”
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “AN HUMBLE FRIEND.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading ““Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.””
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading ““Shine yer boots?””
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 ““Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.””
In this reading “Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.”
In this reading “Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.”
In this reading “AN HUMBLE FRIEND.”
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.
past form of “accost” — speak to someone
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN HUMBLE FRIEND.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading “Shine yer boots?”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
having lost your job
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading AN HUMBLE FRIEND.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Gilbert shook his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gilbert shook his head.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading AN HUMBLE FRIEND.
and nothing more
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “Shine yer boots?”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Gilbert shook his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Only five cents, mister,—that’s half price.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
male cat
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Just outside the office from which he had been discharged, Gilbert was accosted by Tom, the boot-black.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Shine yer boots?”
Chapter 18 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 18 holds 139 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 18 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.
