Chapter 36 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN. When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed. "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert. "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton. "But it was not that that worried me most.
Chapter 36 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 72 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 state of being absent
From this reading “When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.”
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading “"It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “"It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “"It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.”
extremely joyful
From this reading “When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.”
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.”
male cat
From this reading “A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “"But it was not that that worried me most.”
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 A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.
the state of being absent
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
later than; following
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
used as intensifiers
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I have felt like Albert," said Mrs. Fenton.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
extremely joyful
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
male cat
From this reading A LETTER FROM TOM SLOAN.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
at the time that
From this reading When Fred presented himself at home, after a fortnight's absence, his mother and little brother were overjoyed.
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading "But it was not that that worried me most.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's been awfully lonely since you went away, Fred," said Albert.
Chapter 36 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 72 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 36 holds 72 sentences of The Erie Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 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 36 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.
