Chapter 13 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PHIL'S NEW HOME. The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it. There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty. It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself. “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
Chapter 13 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.”
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading “The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.”
provided with whatever is necessary for a purpose (as furniture or equipment or authority)
From this reading “The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.”
the state of being neat and smart and trim
From this reading “The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.”
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading “The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading “There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.”
morally degraded
From this reading “There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.”
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 There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
set up or found
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
provided with whatever is necessary for a purpose (as furniture or equipment or authority)
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading PHIL'S NEW HOME.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
the state of being neat and smart and trim
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading PHIL'S NEW HOME.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PHIL'S NEW HOME.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am looking for a boarding-place,” said Philip.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
morally degraded
From this reading There is a great difference between respectable and squalid poverty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was the first of these that was apparent in the small house in which our hero found himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The house was poorly furnished with cheap furniture, but there was an unexpected air of neatness about it.
Chapter 13 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 13 holds 117 sentences of The Errand Boy, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 13 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
