Chapter 8 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. BASCOM'S SAD PLIGHT. Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman. "What have I done?" he began. Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
Chapter 8 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
-ing form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.”
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading “Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.”
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading “Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."”
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading “BASCOM'S SAD PLIGHT.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.”
-ing form of “recognize” — accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading “Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."”
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading “Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."”
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 Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BASCOM'S SAD PLIGHT.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "What have I done?" he began.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "What have I done?" he began.
-ing form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What have I done?" he began.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What have I done?" he began.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading BASCOM'S SAD PLIGHT.
a member of a police force
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
-ing form of “recognize” — accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading BASCOM'S SAD PLIGHT.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Joshua turned in alarm, fearing that he was in the hands of a policeman.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What have I done?" he began.
which person or people
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Then recognizing Morris, he said, "Why, it's the man who stole my wallet."
Chapter 8 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 8 holds 125 sentences of The Erie Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 8 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 Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4563 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26075 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26075, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Erie Train Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Erie Train 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 Erie Train Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
