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Shifting For Himself
Shifting For Himself

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Shifting For Himself
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.
Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.
On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.
“There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.
“What is it?” she inquired.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Shifting For Himself

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.
/æn ˌʌnsətɪˈsfæktəri kɔːl/
Line 2
Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.
Line 3
On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.
Line 4
“There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.
/ðer ɪz wʌn θɪŋ wɪtʃ aɪ hæv fərˈɡɑːt.n̩ hiː sed tuː hɪz waɪf/
Line 5
“What is it?” she inquired.
/wʌt ɪz ɪt ʃiː ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

annoyed adjective US /əˈnɔɪd/

aroused to impatience or anger

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

conjecture noun US /kənˈdʒektʃər/

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading “Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.”

directions noun US /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

steamer noun US /ˈstiːmər/

a clam that is usually steamed in the shell

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

stipend noun US /ˈstaɪpənd/

a sum of money allotted on a regular basis; usually for some specific purpose

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

unsatisfactory adjective US /ˌʌnsətɪˈsfæktəri/

not giving satisfaction

From this reading “AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.”

ward noun US /wɔːrd/

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

weekly noun US /ˈwiːkli/

a periodical that is published every week (or 52 issues per year)

From this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

On board preposition + noun

on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle

In this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

rather annoyed adverb + adjective

In this reading “On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

annoyedadjectiveUS /əˈnɔɪd/

aroused to impatience or anger

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

boardnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

Briggs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

CALLverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.

conjecturenounUS /kənˈdʒektʃər/

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

directionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

Ingalls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading “What is it?” she inquired.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “What is it?” she inquired.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

regularadjectiveUS /ˈreɡjələr/

in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “What is it?” she inquired.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

steamernounUS /ˈstiːmər/

a clam that is usually steamed in the shell

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

stipendnounUS /ˈstaɪpənd/

a sum of money allotted on a regular basis; usually for some specific purpose

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

UNSATISFACTORYadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsətɪˈsfæktəri/

not giving satisfaction

From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY CALL.

wardnounUS /wɔːrd/

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mr. Ingalls was right in his conjecture.

weeklynounUS /ˈwiːkli/

a periodical that is published every week (or 52 issues per year)

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What is it?” she inquired.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading “There is one thing which I have forgotten,” he said to his wife.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading On board the steamer Mr. Briggs had thought of his young ward, and was rather annoyed that he had not left directions at the office that he should be paid his regular weekly stipend.

Chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself contain?

Chapter 28 holds 135 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of Shifting For Himself?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading Shifting For Himself

Common questions about reading Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Shifting For Himself?

Yes. All 4606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55598 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Shifting For Himself is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55598, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Shifting For Himself take to read?

About 383 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Shifting For Himself section by section

How to work through Shifting For Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of Shifting For Himself to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Shifting For Himself

Words and structures a reader meets early in Shifting For Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

School-fellows
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Burton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boarding-school
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ferment
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shifting For Himself; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.