Chapter 18 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A ROUGH DIAMOND. “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom. “Yes, sir.” “A rough diamond, I call him,” said Burnett. Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
Chapter 18 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading ““Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.”
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “A ROUGH DIAMOND.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading ““Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:”
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading ““Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:”
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
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 “A ROUGH DIAMOND.”
In this reading ““Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.”
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 ROUGH DIAMOND.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
next to; at the side of
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “A rough diamond, I call him,” said Burnett.
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading A ROUGH DIAMOND.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
a boy or man
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “A rough diamond, I call him,” said Burnett.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “A rough diamond, I call him,” said Burnett.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
in other respects or ways
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
on the contrary
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading A ROUGH DIAMOND.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
cut with a saw
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
male cat
From this reading “Rather a rough fellow that,” said Percy Burnett, as he resumed his seat beside Tom.
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Perhaps he saw by Tom’s face that his friend had not struck his young secretary as a diamond, rough or otherwise, for he proceeded:
Chapter 18 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 holds 90 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 18 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.
