Chapter 39 of The Train Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Train Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY. "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister. "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer. "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?" "As if I would be likely to!
Chapter 39 of The Train Boy is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 “MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.”
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading “MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.”
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading “"There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.”
full of or producing joy
From this reading “"Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.”
United States golfer (born in 1929)
From this reading “"There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “"Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.”
accept gladly
From this reading “"Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"”
In this reading “"Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.”
forced to turn and face attackers
In this reading “MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.”
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 "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
British choreographer (1906-1988)
From this reading MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
full of or producing joy
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading MAJOR ASHTON AT BAY.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course you have not forgotten Miss Dearborn?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
United States golfer (born in 1929)
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
express in words
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is one item," said Mrs. Palmer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
accept gladly
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
(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 "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
at the time that
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "As if I would be likely to!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, mother, have you any news to tell me?" asked Paul, when he had received a joyful welcome from his mother and sister.
Chapter 39 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 39 holds 129 sentences of The Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 39 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.
