Chapter 2 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE CARS. If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute. "Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor. "I am rather a late visitor. I was not sure but you might be in bed."
Chapter 2 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “IN THE CARS.”
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading “"Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor.”
set up or lay the groundwork for
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
someone who visits
From this reading “If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.”
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 was not sure but you might be in bed."”
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 If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am rather a late visitor.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading IN THE CARS.
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading "Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am rather a late visitor.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE CARS.
set up or lay the groundwork for
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
on the contrary
From this reading "I am rather a late visitor.
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Good-evening, Conrad," said the doctor.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
not in physical motion
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE CARS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
someone who visits
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If Walter was surprised at receiving a visit at so late an hour, he was still more surprised to recognize in the visitor Dr. Porter, the principal of the Institute.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I was not sure but you might be in bed."
Chapter 2 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 2 holds 119 sentences of Strong and Steady, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 2 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.
