Chapter 21 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NEW ACQUAINTANCE. "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing. The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him. "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance. "I may not come back at all."
Chapter 21 of Strong and Steady is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “"Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.”
something offered (as a proposal or bid)
From this reading “"Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.”
being five more than seventy
From this reading “The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.”
a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something (as to ride on public transportation or to enter a public entertainment)
From this reading “"Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “"Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.”
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 “The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.”
In this reading “A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.”
be restored
In this reading “"I may not come back at all."”
In this reading “The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.”
stay clear of, avoid
In this reading “"How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.”
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 A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
the act of departing
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I may not come back at all."
something offered (as a proposal or bid)
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
being five more than seventy
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something (as to ride on public transportation or to enter a public entertainment)
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The ticket was handed him, and three dollars and seventy-five cents were returned to him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Give me a ticket to Willoughby," said Walter, offering the five-dollar bill which he had come so near losing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How long are you going to stay away?" asked the station-master, with whom Walter had some acquaintance.
Chapter 21 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 21 holds 155 sentences of Strong and Steady, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Strong and Steady by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 21 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.
