Chapter 31 of The Young Musician is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Young Musician is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL. Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction. There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich. He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination. There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
Chapter 31 of The Young Musician is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading “He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “A NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL.”
cause to regain consciousness
From this reading “He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.”
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading “Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.”
being ten more than fifty
From this reading “There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.”
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading “Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.”
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 NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading A NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
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 There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading A NEW BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
cause to regain consciousness
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
possessing material wealth
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
being ten more than fifty
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
not in physical motion
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
(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 He began to think now that it might be well to revive the combination.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were still sixty dollars or more in it, and it was long since he had been so rich.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Professor Riccabocca put the wallet in his pocket with a sigh of satisfaction.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There was some doubt, however, as to how Philip would receive the proposal.
Chapter 31 of The Young Musician by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 109 sentences of The Young Musician, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Young Musician by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 31 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 Musician by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5673 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5673, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Musician section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Young Musician 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 Musician, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
