Chapter 20 of The Young Bank Messenger 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 XX
Chapter 20 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE. James Fox had very little to say during the evening. He was evidently preoccupied and anxious. He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices. Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
Chapter 20 of The Young Bank Messenger 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.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading “ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.”
have the idea for
From this reading “Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.”
an inclination or desire; used in the plural in the phrase “left to your own devices”
From this reading “He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.”
third-person singular of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading “ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “James Fox had very little to say during the evening.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.”
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading “He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.”
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading “He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
eagerly desirous
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.
have the idea for
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
an inclination or desire; used in the plural in the phrase “left to your own devices”
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
third-person singular of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
not any; not one
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
express in words
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ERNEST EXPLORES THE CAVE.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He paid scant attention to the boys, but left them to their own devices.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
precisely as stated
From this reading James Fox had very little to say during the evening.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was evidently preoccupied and anxious.
a difficulty that causes anxiety
From this reading Frank knew so little of his father's business, or occupation, that he could conceive of no cause for worriment.
Chapter 20 of The Young Bank Messenger 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 20 holds 137 sentences of The Young Bank Messenger, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Young Bank Messenger 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 20 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 Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25150, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Bank Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Young Bank Messenger 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 Young Bank Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
