Chapter 31 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BUCEPHALUS. The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses. Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage. "John, we want the saddle-horses," said Jasper. "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
Chapter 31 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “appointment” — the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
a man who drives a coach (or carriage)
From this reading “Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “"Gilbert and I are going to ride."”
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 “The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading “The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading “Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.”
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 stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.”
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 The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
plural of “appointment” — the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
the two together, not just one
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BUCEPHALUS.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
a man who drives a coach (or carriage)
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
the act of departing
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
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 The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "John, we want the saddle-horses," said Jasper.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "John, we want the saddle-horses," said Jasper.
cut with a saw
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Gilbert and I are going to ride."
precisely as stated
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "John, we want the saddle-horses," said Jasper.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading Opening the small door at one side the boys saw John, the coachman, washing the carriage.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "John, we want the saddle-horses," said Jasper.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stable was a handsome building, very complete in its appointments, for both Mr. Grey and Jasper were fond of horses.
Chapter 31 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 31 holds 131 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 31 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.
