Chapter 1 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OLD LETTER. “Is supper ready, mother? I’m as hungry as a bear!” The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face. His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
Chapter 1 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
-ing form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “I’m as hungry as a bear!””
of or relating to or consisting of muscle
From this reading “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.”
plural of “sleeve” — the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.”
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 “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
In this reading “His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.”
In this reading “The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.”
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’m as hungry as a bear!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OLD LETTER.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I’m as hungry as a bear!”
have
From this reading I’m as hungry as a bear!”
a youthful male person
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
-ing form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading I’m as hungry as a bear!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m as hungry as a bear!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is supper ready, mother?
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading AN OLD LETTER.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Is supper ready, mother?
of or relating to or consisting of muscle
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AN OLD LETTER.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading “Is supper ready, mother?
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
plural of “sleeve” — the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “Is supper ready, mother?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His shirt sleeves were rolled up displaying a pair of muscular arms.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy boy of sixteen, with bright eyes, and a smiling sun-browned face.
Chapter 1 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 1 holds 101 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 1 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 Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56896 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56896, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 485 minutes of reading across 1165 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Thatcher's Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Tom Thatcher's Fortune 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 Tom Thatcher's Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
