Chapter 1 of The Train Boy is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Train Boy is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TRAIN BOY. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc. ILLUSTRATED. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Chapter 1 of The Train Boy is here in full — 119 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.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading “By HORATIO ALGER, JR.”
money in the form of bills or coins
From this reading “Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.”
English lexicographer who wrote a well-known book on English usage (1858-1933)
From this reading “Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “ILLUSTRATED.”
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
possessive form of “thatcher” — British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading “Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a boy who earns money by running errands
In this reading “Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.”
In this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading By HORATIO ALGER, JR.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
a youthful male person
From this reading THE TRAIN BOY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By HORATIO ALGER, JR.
money in the form of bills or coins
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
English lexicographer who wrote a well-known book on English usage (1858-1933)
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By HORATIO ALGER, JR.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading ILLUSTRATED.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading By HORATIO ALGER, JR.
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
possessive form of “thatcher” — British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRAIN BOY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
male cat
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "The Errand Boy," "Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy," "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Joe's Luck," "Tony, the Hero," etc.
create by training and teaching
From this reading THE TRAIN BOY.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Chapter 1 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 119 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 1 holds 119 sentences of The Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 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 1 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 Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4217 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55725 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55725, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 844 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Train Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The 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 Train Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
