Chapter 34 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST. “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence. “We were getting anxious about you.” “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind. “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
Chapter 34 of The Errand Boy is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading ““We were getting anxious about you.””
the act of breaking something
From this reading ““Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.”
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading ““Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.”
fill with distaste
From this reading “THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading ““I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.””
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading ““I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.””
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading ““Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.”
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading “THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “We were getting anxious about you.”
eagerly desirous
From this reading “We were getting anxious about you.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
the act of breaking something
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
fill with distaste
From this reading THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “We were getting anxious about you.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
ten 10s
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
information about recent and important events
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
term of address for a man
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PITKINS RETIRE IN DISGUST.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “I have lost the two hundred dollars Mr. Pitkin paid me this morning.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We were getting anxious about you.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “We were getting anxious about you.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I have bad news for you, sir,” returned Phil, saying what stood first in his mind.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Where have you been, Philip?” asked Mr. Carter, breaking the silence.
Chapter 34 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 34 holds 101 sentences of The Errand Boy, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Errand Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 34 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.
