Chapter 4 of Tony the Tramp is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tony the Tramp is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic. It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered. The beams were plainly visible. Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe. There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
Chapter 4 of Tony the Tramp is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading “RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.”
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading “The beams were plainly visible.”
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading “There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.”
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading “Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.”
past form of “partition” — divide into parts, pieces, or sections
From this reading “It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.”
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading “It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.”
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading “It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.”
a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
From this reading “Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.”
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 beams were plainly visible.”
a hired laborer on a farm or ranch
In this reading “There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.”
In this reading “RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.”
In this reading “RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.”
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 RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading The beams were plainly visible.
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
divisible by two
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
small in range or scope
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
past form of “partition” — divide into parts, pieces, or sections
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The beams were plainly visible.
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RUDOLPH’S DISAPPOINTMENT Abner slept in a large room in the attic.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading The beams were plainly visible.
a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It had been roughly partitioned off, and was not even plastered.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The beams were plainly visible.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Upon nails which had been driven into them hung Abner’s limited wardrobe.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading There were two cot beds in the room, as a part of the year the farmer employed more than one hired man.
Chapter 4 of Tony the Tramp by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 4 holds 137 sentences of Tony the Tramp, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tony the Tramp by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 4 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 Tramp by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56730 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56730, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 378 minutes of reading across 909 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tony the Tramp section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Tony the Tramp 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 Tramp, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
