Chapter 2 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE YOUNG RIVALS. “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially. “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?” “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper. You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
Chapter 2 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
in a hearty manner
From this reading ““Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.”
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading ““Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?””
accept an excuse for
From this reading “You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.””
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading ““Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.”
plural of “rival” — the contestant you hope to defeat
From this reading “THE YOUNG RIVALS.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading ““No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading ““Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?””
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading ““Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.”
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.
take a seat
In this reading ““Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?””
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.””
finish a task completely
In this reading ““No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.”
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 “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
and nothing more
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
plural of “rival” — the contestant you hope to defeat
From this reading THE YOUNG RIVALS.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
be seated
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
carry out
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading “Good-evening, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE YOUNG RIVALS.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
male cat
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading THE YOUNG RIVALS.
Chapter 2 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 2 holds 243 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 2 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.
