Chapter 9 of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin. "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me. Isn't it awful?" "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke. "I don't know when it was entered."
Chapter 9 of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “Isn't it awful?"”
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “"Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.”
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading “"Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “"I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.”
United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)
From this reading “"I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.”
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
From this reading “"Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading Isn't it awful?"
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know when it was entered."
United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "I don't know when it was entered."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn't it awful?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Isn't it awful?"
and nothing more
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know when it was entered."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
immediately past
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Was the bank broken open last night, Miss Sprague?" asked Luke.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
at the time that
From this reading "I don't know when it was entered."
in or at the place that
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I called on Mrs. Duncan just now--I was doing some work for her--and she told me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MELINDA MAKES MISCHIEF "Where did you hear this, Melinda?" asked Mrs. Larkin.
Chapter 9 of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 9 holds 94 sentences of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 9 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 Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4051 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5417 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5417, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck 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 Struggling Upward, or Luke Larkin's Luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
