Chapter 11 of The Train Boy is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Train Boy is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION. Paul felt that he was in a tight place. He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket. Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence. "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
Chapter 11 of The Train Boy is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.”
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading “PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.”
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading “Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.”
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.”
take without the owner's consent
From this reading “"I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “Paul felt that he was in a tight place.”
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading “He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.”
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.
In this reading “PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.”
In this reading “Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.”
In this reading “Paul felt that he was in a tight place.”
get involved in or with
In this reading “He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.”
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 Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
with resolute determination
From this reading "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading PAUL'S CRITICAL POSITION.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
take without the owner's consent
From this reading "I did not steal the wallet," he said, firmly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading He could not understand how the wallet could have got into his pocket.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Paul felt that he was in a tight place.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet there it was, and appearances were decidedly against him in spite of his innocence.
Chapter 11 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 11 holds 137 sentences of The Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 11 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.
