Chapter 34 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS. The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said: "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning. I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive." "All right, father.
Chapter 34 of Tom, The Bootblack is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
be present or associated with an event or entity
From this reading “I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."”
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading “"Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."”
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:”
increase the likelihood of
From this reading “I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."”
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 “"Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:”
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, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:”
a table where breakfast is eaten
In this reading “The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:”
In this reading “A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.”
In this reading “A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.”
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 A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.
be present or associated with an event or entity
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "All right, father.
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "All right, father.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
increase the likelihood of
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
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 "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
go away from a place
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
a form of address for a man
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading I propose to invite Gilbert to accompany me on a drive."
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "All right, father.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
at the time that
From this reading The next morning, when the three were seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Grey said:
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading A RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Jasper, I think I shall leave you to amuse yourself this morning.
Chapter 34 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 34 holds 82 sentences of Tom, The Bootblack, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of Tom, The Bootblack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 34 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.
