Chapter 4 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE HOSPITAL. On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out. He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber. Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident. "Is he much hurt?
Chapter 4 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 102 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.”
past form of “administer” — work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of
From this reading “He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.”
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading “AT THE HOSPITAL.”
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading “On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.”
clean or organized
From this reading “On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.”
plural of “opiate” — a narcotic drug that contains opium or an opium derivative
From this reading “He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.”
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading “He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.”
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 “He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.”
In this reading “Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.”
In this reading “AT THE HOSPITAL.”
In this reading “Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.”
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 On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
past form of “administer” — work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
later than; following
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE HOSPITAL.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading AT THE HOSPITAL.
be the source of pain
From this reading "Is he much hurt?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is he much hurt?
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Is he much hurt?
clean or organized
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
plural of “opiate” — a narcotic drug that contains opium or an opium derivative
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
in the near future
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE HOSPITAL.
male cat
From this reading Tom presented himself at the office below as soon as he could after hearing of the accident.
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading He had been in considerable pain, but opiates had been administered, and he was in an uneasy slumber.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading On a neat bed, at the Bellevue Hospital, old Jacob was stretched out.
Chapter 4 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 102 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 4 holds 102 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 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 4 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, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4823 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26355 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26355, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 965 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom, The Bootblack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Tom, The Bootblack 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, The Bootblack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
