Chapter 2 of The Store Boy is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Store Boy is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand. Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall. "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home. Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
Chapter 2 of The Store Boy is here in full — 118 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.
having companions or an escort
From this reading “Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.”
plural of “caller” — a social or business visitor
From this reading “BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.”
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “"I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.”
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading “Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.”
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading “Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."”
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
From this reading “Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.”
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 BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
having companions or an escort
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
a youthful male person
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
plural of “caller” — a social or business visitor
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
being one more than seven
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
according to the clock
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
with low volume
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
on the contrary
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her headache was better, but she did not regret not having accompanied Ben to the Town Hall.
in the company of; together with
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading BARCLAY'S CALLERS About half-past eight o'clock Mrs. Barclay sat with her work in her hand.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading Poor boy! he works hard enough, and needs recreation now and then."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I am glad Ben is enjoying himself," she thought, "but I would rather stay quietly at home.
Chapter 2 of The Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 2 holds 118 sentences of The Store Boy, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 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 2 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 Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3659 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10724 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10724, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 304 minutes of reading across 732 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Store Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Store 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 Store Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
