Chapter 8 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET. With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane. “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said. “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman. “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
Chapter 8 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading “With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.”
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.”
past form of “right” — make reparations or amends for
From this reading “With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.”
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading ““I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.””
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading ““I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.””
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading ““I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.””
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading “THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.”
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 “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
a youthful male person
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
a man of refinement
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.
be the source of pain
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
past form of “right” — make reparations or amends for
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I should have been but for you, my good boy,” said the gentleman.
term of address for a man
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading “I am a little shaken by the suddenness of my slipping.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading THE HOUSE IN TWELFTH STREET.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With some difficulty the gentleman righted himself, and then Phil picked up his cane.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I hope you are not hurt, sir?” he said.
Chapter 8 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 100 sentences of The Errand Boy, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4318 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #462 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #462, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 359 minutes of reading across 864 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Errand Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Errand 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 Errand Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
