Chapter 29 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GILBERT AND JASPER. Gilbert went to the window and looked out. He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant. He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed. He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
Chapter 29 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 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.
treat badly
From this reading “He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.”
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading “He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.”
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading “He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “GILBERT AND JASPER.”
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading “GILBERT AND JASPER.”
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.”
-ing form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading “He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.”
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 “He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “Gilbert went to the window and looked out.”
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 He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
treat badly
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GILBERT AND JASPER.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
set up or found
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading GILBERT AND JASPER.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading GILBERT AND JASPER.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
the possibility of future success
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
unusual or striking
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
-ing form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading He had come to this place expecting to receive abuse and defiance from his uncle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was glad to find that it afforded him a prospect of the Mississippi, a mile distant.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He could not help speculating on the singular position in which he found himself placed.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Gilbert went to the window and looked out.
Chapter 29 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 29 holds 122 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 29 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.
