Chapter 7 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE. “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.” “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale. “What is it?” “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
Chapter 7 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE.”
lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
From this reading ““Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.””
information about recent and important events
From this reading ““Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.””
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading ““Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.”
recurring again and again
From this reading ““Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.”
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading ““Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading ““Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE.”
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 ““Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.””
In this reading ““Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.””
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE.
lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it?”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.
recurring again and again
From this reading “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
male cat
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading “Don’t let it trouble you too much, mother, for it doesn’t depress me.”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “Bad news!” repeated Mrs. Thatcher, turning pale.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED CHARGE.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it?”
at the time that
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Mother,” said Tom, the next morning when they met at the breakfast-table, “I have some bad news for you.”
Chapter 7 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 7 holds 73 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 7 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.
