Chapter 3 of The Backwoods Boy is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Backwoods Boy is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ABE AND HIS FAMILY. My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history. The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky. About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness. His death was tragical.
Chapter 3 of The Backwoods Boy is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
the first of the Old Testament patriarchs and the father of Isaac; according to Genesis, God promised to give Abraham's family (the Hebrews) the land of Canaan (the Promised Land); God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son
From this reading “The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.”
a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
From this reading “The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.”
16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)
From this reading “My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.”
someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art
From this reading “The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.”
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading “My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.”
English statesman who served as prime minister and who opposed the war with the American colonies (1730-1782)
From this reading “About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.”
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading “The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.”
still in doubt
From this reading “About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.”
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 “My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.”
In this reading “My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.”
In this reading “About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ABE AND HIS FAMILY.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
the first of the Old Testament patriarchs and the father of Isaac; according to Genesis, God promised to give Abraham's family (the Hebrews) the land of Canaan (the Promised Land); God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ABE AND HIS FAMILY.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading His death was tragical.
a social unit living together
From this reading ABE AND HIS FAMILY.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ABE AND HIS FAMILY.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
as might be expected
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
English statesman who served as prime minister and who opposed the war with the American colonies (1730-1782)
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading His death was tragical.
still in doubt
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The grandfather of Abraham was one of the pioneer settlers of Kentucky.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading About the year 1780 he removed from Rockingham County, Virginia, to what was then an unsettled wilderness.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading My young readers may naturally feel some curiosity as to the Lincoln family and their previous history.
Chapter 3 of The Backwoods Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 71 sentences of The Backwoods Boy, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Backwoods Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 The Backwoods Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2652 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 221 minutes of reading across 531 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Backwoods Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Backwoods Boy 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 The Backwoods Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
