Chapter 1 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE. "You've got a nice room here, Walter." "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable." "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with. Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
Chapter 1 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.”
of or relating to the first significant period of a civilization, culture, area of study, etc.
From this reading “THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.”
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “"Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."”
a county in southeastern England on the North Sea and the Thames estuary
From this reading “THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.”
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading “Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.”
set up or lay the groundwork for
From this reading “THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.”
two times
From this reading “"It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “"You've got a nice room here, Walter."”
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 “"Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."”
In this reading “Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.”
In this reading “"Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."”
In this reading “"It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.”
In this reading “"It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.”
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 "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
of or relating to the first significant period of a civilization, culture, area of study, etc.
From this reading THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
a county in southeastern England on the North Sea and the Thames estuary
From this reading THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.
at any time
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
set up or lay the groundwork for
From this reading THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ESSEX CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then, my carpet looks as if it had come down through several generations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
two times
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It's ever so much better than my room--twice as big, to begin with.
a late time of life
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, you know I am to stay here two years, and I might as well be comfortable."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've got a nice room here, Walter."
Chapter 1 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 1 holds 123 sentences of Strong and Steady, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 1 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 Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4443 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55098 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55098, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 889 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strong and Steady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Strong and Steady 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 Strong and Steady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
