Chapter 15 of Tony, the Hero is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tony, the Hero is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOYS' DUEL. Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat. He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter. But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked. This was the way it had happened:
Chapter 15 of Tony, the Hero is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.”
requiring full use of your abilities or resources
From this reading “Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.”
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading “Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.”
intended to deceive
From this reading “But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.”
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading “THE BOYS' DUEL.”
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading “But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.”
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading “He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.”
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 fight between two people
In this reading “Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.”
In this reading “Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.”
In this reading “He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.”
In this reading “Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading THE BOYS' DUEL.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
requiring full use of your abilities or resources
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
intended to deceive
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading THE BOYS' DUEL.
the organ of sight
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading This was the way it had happened:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This was the way it had happened:
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
not any; not one
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOYS' DUEL.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was the way it had happened:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sam Payson felt perfectly safe in challenging Tony to single combat.
activity leading to skilled behavior
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading This was the way it had happened:
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But appearances were deceitful, and he had no idea that Tony had received special training, which he lacked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had measured him with his eye, and seen that he was two inches shorter, and probably twenty pounds lighter.
Chapter 15 of Tony, the Hero by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 110 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 15 holds 110 sentences of Tony, the Hero, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Tony, the Hero by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 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 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 Tony, the Hero by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6147 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59904 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59904, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tony, the Hero section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Tony, the Hero 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 Tony, the Hero, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
