Chapter 1 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire. "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away." But it wasn't right away. First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses. Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
Chapter 1 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
brought into existence
From this reading “"Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.”
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.”
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading “First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.”
(of games) engaged in
From this reading “Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.”
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading “Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.”
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading “First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.”
on a floor above
From this reading “First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.”
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “"Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.”
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 “"Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.”
In this reading “First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.”
In this reading “"Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.”
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.
anew
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
in the past
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
brought into existence
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it wasn't right away.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it wasn't right away.
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
a male human offspring
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I'll be up," replied Peter Neale, "right away."
on a floor above
From this reading First he had to go upstairs to the card room and settle his losses.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it wasn't right away.
at the time that
From this reading Indeed he played one more pot for when he returned to the table his deal had come around again.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your son was born ten minutes ago," said the voice at the other end of the wire.
Chapter 1 of The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun holds 95 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 1 holds 95 sentences of The Boy Grew Older, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 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 1 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 Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4848 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36057 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36057, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Grew Older section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Boy Grew Older 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 Boy Grew Older, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
