Chapter 13 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ADVENTURE. The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson. The first he met was Maurice Walton. Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle. "Did you come round to see me?
Chapter 13 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading “AN ADVENTURE.”
subject to appointment
From this reading “The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.”
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading “The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.”
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
English composer (1902-1983)
From this reading “The first he met was Maurice Walton.”
superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
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 “The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.”
In this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
In this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.”
change one's position or opinion
In this reading “"Did you come round to see me?”
simultaneously
In this reading “The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.”
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.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading AN ADVENTURE.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ADVENTURE.
subject to appointment
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
male cat
From this reading The next morning, at the time appointed, Tom called at the establishment of Mr. Ferguson.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
English composer (1902-1983)
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first he met was Maurice Walton.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you come round to see me?
superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Maurice, in fact, was the youngest clerk, having received the appointment six weeks before, through the influence of his uncle.
Chapter 13 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 13 holds 148 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 13 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.
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.
