Chapter 19 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TABLES ARE TURNED. "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond. "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another. When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on. She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
Chapter 19 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “"The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.”
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading “When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.”
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading “She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “"I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.”
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading “"The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “"The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “THE TABLES ARE TURNED.”
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 “When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.”
In this reading “When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.”
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “"The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.”
increase the likelihood of
In this reading “"The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.”
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 She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE TABLES ARE TURNED.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
and nothing more
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
in the near future
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading THE TABLES ARE TURNED.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TABLES ARE TURNED.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I shall soon be able to prove it," said Mr. Drummond.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE TABLES ARE TURNED.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
at the time that
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
which person or people
From this reading "The lady who bought the shawl came into the store half an hour since, and asked for another.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When I told her that it would cost ten dollars, she said she only paid five for the one she had on.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She then told us that she bought it of you a fortnight since."
Chapter 19 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 19 holds 127 sentences of Strong and Steady, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 19 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.
