Chapter 6 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE REVELATION. Tom had already made up his mind upon one point. He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it. So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself. But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
Chapter 6 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading “He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.”
placed in a grave
From this reading “But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.”
qualified for by right according to law
From this reading “He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.”
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading “But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.”
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading “But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.”
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading “So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.”
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “THE REVELATION.”
inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.”
In this reading “Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.”
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.
consider or hold as true
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
placed in a grave
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
characterized by great determination
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
qualified for by right according to law
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
apart from; not including
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
not any; not one
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading So far as he knew, the old man had no relatives or friends, except himself.
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading THE REVELATION.
inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But he was determined that, since Jacob had money, he should not be buried at the public expense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE REVELATION.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
male cat
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Tom had already made up his mind upon one point.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would accept the bequest of his old companion, since, in so doing, he was robbing no one better entitled to it.
Chapter 6 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 6 holds 120 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 6 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.
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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.
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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.
