Chapter 18 of Strive and Succeed is here in full — 136 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 Strive and Succeed is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TROUBLE IN STAPLETON. “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua. “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old. The old man is awful mean. If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
Chapter 18 of Strive and Succeed is here in full — 136 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.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “The old man is awful mean.”
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading ““I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.”
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading ““I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ““I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading ““I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.”
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading “If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.””
a source of difficulty
From this reading “TROUBLE IN STAPLETON.”
look attentively
From this reading ““I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.”
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 ““I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man is awful mean.”
In this reading ““I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.”
In this reading ““I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.”
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 “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading The old man is awful mean.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading TROUBLE IN STAPLETON.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The old man is awful mean.
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man is awful mean.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The old man is awful mean.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
precisely, exactly
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TROUBLE IN STAPLETON.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading If he had treated me right, I shouldn’t have had to help myself; that’s certain.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading TROUBLE IN STAPLETON.
up to a particular time
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
look attentively
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
a late time of life
From this reading “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old.
Chapter 18 of Strive and Succeed by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 136 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 136 sentences of Strive and Succeed, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Strive and Succeed by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 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 Strive and Succeed by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4474 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56207 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56207, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 895 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strive and Succeed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Strive and Succeed 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 Strive and Succeed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
