Chapter 3 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT HOME. It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death. When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead. The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face. "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
Chapter 3 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
a formal public statement
From this reading “It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.”
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading “When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.”
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “"Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.”
not in physical motion
From this reading “The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.”
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 “It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.”
In this reading “"Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “AT HOME.”
In this reading “When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.”
In this reading “It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.”
In this reading “When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.”
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 It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
a formal public statement
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT HOME.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading AT HOME.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
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 When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
not in physical motion
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
a form of address for a man
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
information about recent and important events
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading "Come in, Master Walter, come in, and have a cup of hot tea.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The news stunned him, and he stood, pale and motionless, looking into the house-keeper's face.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a terrible shock to Walter,--this sudden announcement of his father's death.
at the time that
From this reading When he had left home, Mr. Conrad seemed in his usual health, and he could not realize that he was dead.
Chapter 3 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 3 holds 65 sentences of Strong and Steady, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 3 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.
