Chapter 31 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR. "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred. "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence." "I am only seventeen." "I don't understand it."
Chapter 31 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “"Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “"Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."”
being one more than sixteen
From this reading “"I am only seventeen."”
United States writer whose novels argued for social reform (1878-1968)
From this reading “FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.”
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading “FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.”
a wagon maker
From this reading “"Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “"Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am only seventeen."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't understand it."
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am only seventeen."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I don't understand it."
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
and nothing more
From this reading "I am only seventeen."
filled with bewilderment
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
being one more than sixteen
From this reading "I am only seventeen."
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
United States writer whose novels argued for social reform (1878-1968)
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I don't understand it."
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
a wagon maker
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
in the company of; together with
From this reading FRED HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH SINCLAIR.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Wainwright showed me the letter you wrote to him," went on Fred.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Excuse me," said Sinclair, looking puzzled, "but you seem very young to be taken into Mr. Wainwright's confidence."
Chapter 31 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 31 holds 140 sentences of The Erie Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 31 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.
