Chapter 7 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF. The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of. Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history. Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do. He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
Chapter 7 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading “The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.”
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.”
the aggregate of past events
From this reading “Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.”
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.”
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading “Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.”
past form of “wrong” — treat unjustly; do wrong to
From this reading “He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.”
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 “Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.”
In this reading “He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.”
In this reading “TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.”
place into the hands or custody of
In this reading “TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.”
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 TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
and nothing more
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
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 Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
above and across; more than
From this reading TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
not in physical motion
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
male cat
From this reading TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading TOM TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up to this time he knew nothing of his past history.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The communication which he had just read gave Tom much to think of.
which person or people
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now a clear light was thrown upon it, and it remained for him to decide what he would do.
past form of “wrong” — treat unjustly; do wrong to
From this reading He knew as much as this, that the man who had wronged him was still living.
Chapter 7 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 97 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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, 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.
