Chapter 31 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GILBERT’S SECOND DAY. “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience. “Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert. “That is quite fair.” “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
Chapter 31 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 98 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.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading ““Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.”
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
plural of “expense” — amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading ““I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “GILBERT’S SECOND DAY.”
possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading ““How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading ““I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.”
being five more than seventy
From this reading ““Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.”
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 ““Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.”
In this reading “GILBERT’S SECOND DAY.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading GILBERT’S SECOND DAY.
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
plural of “expense” — amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “That is quite fair.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading GILBERT’S SECOND DAY.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That is quite fair.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
engage in
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “That is quite fair.”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading GILBERT’S SECOND DAY.
being five more than seventy
From this reading “Seventy-five cents,” answered Gilbert.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That is quite fair.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I suppose it is all I could reasonably expect, but it won’t pay my expenses.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How much did you make in your new business, Gilbert?” inquired his room-mate, Ingalls, with interest, at the close of his first day’s experience.
Chapter 31 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 98 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 31 holds 98 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 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 31 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.
