Chapter 15 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE. "Where are you boarding?" Mordaunt began. "At the Ohio Hotel. But I don't mean to stay.
Chapter 15 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Mordaunt began.”
the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft
From this reading “TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.”
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “"At the Ohio Hotel.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “But I don't mean to stay.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “"At the Ohio Hotel.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “But I don't mean to stay.”
male cat
From this reading “TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.”
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.
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Where are you boarding?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At the Ohio Hotel.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Mordaunt began.
the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft
From this reading "Where are you boarding?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "At the Ohio Hotel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mordaunt began.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "At the Ohio Hotel.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "At the Ohio Hotel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I don't mean to stay.
male cat
From this reading TOM CHANGES HIS BOARDING-HOUSE.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where are you boarding?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where are you boarding?"
Chapter 15 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 15 holds 142 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 15 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.
