Chapter 24 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EMMA’S FATHER. Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl. After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street. “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?” “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
Chapter 24 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading ““If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.”
unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct
From this reading ““If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.”
projecting inward
From this reading ““If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.”
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading “After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.”
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
From this reading “After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.”
on a floor above
From this reading ““This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?””
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.
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
In this reading “After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.”
In this reading ““This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?””
a youthful female person
In this reading “Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.”
at or in the front
In this reading “After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.”
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 After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
later than; following
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EMMA’S FATHER.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading EMMA’S FATHER.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
a young female
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
projecting inward
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
term of address for a man
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
on a floor above
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading After a short walk, she paused in front of a miserable tenement house on Pearl Street.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
in or at the place that
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Gilbert kept on his way with the little girl.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “This is where we live,” she said; “will you go upstairs, sir?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If you think I shall not be intruding on your father,” said Gilbert, with instinctive delicacy.
Chapter 24 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 24 holds 97 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 24 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.
