Chapter 26 of The Train Boy is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Train Boy is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOOK-KEEPER'S TRIUMPH. In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble. The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul. On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began: "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
Chapter 26 of The Train Boy is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
expected hopefully
From this reading “In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.”
plural of “battery” — group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading “The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.”
United States printer (born in England) whose press produced the first American prayer book and the New York City's first newspaper (1663-1752)
From this reading “In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:”
Scottish physician who discovered that elephantiasis is spread by mosquitos and suggested that mosquitos also spread malaria (1844-1922)
From this reading “On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “THE BOOK-KEEPER'S TRIUMPH.”
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 “"I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."”
In this reading “On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:”
In this reading “In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.”
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 "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
expected hopefully
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
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 In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
plural of “battery” — group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BOOK-KEEPER'S TRIUMPH.
a youthful male person
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
United States printer (born in England) whose press produced the first American prayer book and the New York City's first newspaper (1663-1752)
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
for more time
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
Scottish physician who discovered that elephantiasis is spread by mosquitos and suggested that mosquitos also spread malaria (1844-1922)
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
a form of address for a man
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
not any; not one
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
express in words
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading On the second day, our hero being out, Manson began:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOOK-KEEPER'S TRIUMPH.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading THE BOOK-KEEPER'S TRIUMPH.
a source of difficulty
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The book-keeper did not delay long to open his batteries upon Paul.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading In less time than was anticipated Mr. Bradford came to the office, his arm being so far well that it no longer gave him any trouble.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I would like to say a few words to you, Mr. Bradford, about the new boy."
Chapter 26 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 26 holds 55 sentences of The Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 26 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.
