Chapter 18 of The Train 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 XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Train Boy is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PERSEVERING SUITOR. Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview. She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests. She owed him a measure of courtesy. When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
Chapter 18 of The Train 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.
British choreographer (1906-1988)
From this reading “Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.”
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.”
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading “When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.”
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading “She owed him a measure of courtesy.”
past form of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “She owed him a measure of courtesy.”
quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
From this reading “A PERSEVERING SUITOR.”
a man who courts a woman
From this reading “A PERSEVERING SUITOR.”
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading “Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.”
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 “When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.”
In this reading “She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.”
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 A PERSEVERING SUITOR.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
be present or associated with an event or entity
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
move towards
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
British choreographer (1906-1988)
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading She owed him a measure of courtesy.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She owed him a measure of courtesy.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading She owed him a measure of courtesy.
a particular point in time
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
past form of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading She owed him a measure of courtesy.
quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
From this reading A PERSEVERING SUITOR.
cut with a saw
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
the act of searching for something
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
a man who courts a woman
From this reading A PERSEVERING SUITOR.
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Grace saw the approach of Major Ashton, and surmised his object in seeking an interview.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
not busy or occupied; free
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
at the time that
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he offered his arm she accepted it with a bow, which she tried to accompany with a cordial manner.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She would have avoided it, but she was at the moment unengaged, and Major Ashton was one of her guests.
Chapter 18 of The Train 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 18 holds 118 sentences of The Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Train 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 18 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.
