Chapter 23 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TABLES TURNED. As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid. Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch. He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache. "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
Chapter 23 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.”
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading “He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.”
take the midday meal
From this reading “Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.”
the middle of the day
From this reading “Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.”
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading “He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “THE TABLES TURNED.”
English composer (1902-1983)
From this reading “As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.”
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 reception held in your own home
In this reading “He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
come to pass
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
take the midday meal
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
the middle of the day
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
used to form the superlative
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
a state of acute pain
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading He was surprised to see Maurice, supposing him at home, suffering from the headache.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading THE TABLES TURNED.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TABLES TURNED.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE TABLES TURNED.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
English composer (1902-1983)
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Gilbert was returning to the store, after his usual midday lunch.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As Maurice Walton left the Burnet House, he fell in with the one whom he most wished to avoid.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How do you happen to be here, Maurice?" he asked.
Chapter 23 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 23 holds 108 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 23 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.
