Chapter 26 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him. "I'm through," said Pat. "What's the matter?" "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me. They've fired me."
Chapter 26 of The Boy Grew Older is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
having lost your job
From this reading “They've fired me."”
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
a university in Connecticut
From this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
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.
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.”
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 When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
later than; following
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
having lost your job
From this reading They've fired me."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
set up or found
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm through," said Pat.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'm through," said Pat.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They've fired me."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I'm through," said Pat.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter?"
at the time that
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, as a matter of fact, they're through with me.
a university in Connecticut
From this reading When Peter came into his office one afternoon a couple of weeks after the Yale game he found Pat sitting at his desk waiting for him.
Chapter 26 of The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 26 holds 295 sentences of The Boy Grew Older, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 26 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.
