Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem
Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
“They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
/ə ˈstreɪndʒər kʌmz tuː taʊn tɔːr wɑːz ˈhʌŋɡri/
Line 2
Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
Line 3
It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
Line 4
“They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
/ðeɪ faɪnd ˈplenti tuː iːt hiː toʊld hɪmˈself ˈenviəsli æz hiː hʌɡd hɪz liːn ˈlɪtəl ˈbɑːdi/
Line 5
With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
/wɪð ə ˈsʌdən ˈɪmpəls ðə tʃaɪld flʌŋ ə ˈpebəl ˈɪntuː ðə mɪdst ʌv ðə bəˈlɪdʒərənts/

Learner Dictionary

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.

belligerents noun US /bəˈlɪdʒərənts/

plural of “belligerent” — someone who fights (or is fighting)

From this reading “With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.”

enviously adverb US /ˈenviəsli/

with jealousy; in an envious manner

From this reading ““They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.”

noisily adverb US /ˈnɔɪzəli/

with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound

From this reading “Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.”

pebble noun US /ˈpebəl/

a small smooth rounded rock

From this reading “With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.”

quarreling verb US /ˈkwɑːrəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something

From this reading “Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.”

sparrow noun US /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading “It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.”

sparrows noun US /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading “Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.”

Tor noun US /tɔːr/

a prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill

From this reading “A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

sudden impulse adjective + noun

In this reading “With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.”

stare at verb + particle

In this reading “Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.”

find plenty verb + noun

In this reading ““They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.”

into the midst preposition + article + noun counted as “into … midst”

In this reading “With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

belligerentsnounUS /bəˈlɪdʒərənts/

plural of “belligerent” — someone who fights (or is fighting)

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

COMESnounUS /kʌmz/

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

commonadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmən/

belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

dingyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪndʒi/

thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

dustverbUS /dʌst/

remove the dust from

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

eatverbUS /iːt/

take in solid food

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

enviouslyadverbUS /ˈenviəsli/

with jealousy; in an envious manner

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

flungverbUS /flʌŋ/

inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

groupnounUS /ɡruːp/

any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

huggedverbUS /hʌɡd/

inflected form of “hug” — hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

HungernounUS /ˈhʌŋɡər/

a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

hungryadjectiveUS /ˈhʌŋɡri/

feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpəls/

an instinctive motive

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

merelyadverbUS /ˈmɪrli/

and nothing more

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

midstnounUS /mɪdst/

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

noisilyadverbUS /ˈnɔɪzəli/

with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

occurredverbUS /əˈkɜːrd/

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

pebblenounUS /ˈpebəl/

a small smooth rounded rock

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

pleasanter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

plentynounUS /ˈplenti/

a full supply

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

quarrelingverbUS /ˈkwɑːrəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

ragsnounUS /ræɡz/

plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

sparrownounUS /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

stareverbUS /ster/

look at with fixed eyes

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

STRANGERnounUS /ˈstreɪndʒər/

anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

tightenedverbUS /ˈtaɪtənd/

past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.

TornounUS /tɔːr/

a prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

Tor's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.

TOWNnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

vastlyadverbUS /ˈvæstli/

to an exceedingly great extent or degree

From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.

Chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem by Florence Morse Kingsley holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

What does chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem contain?

Chapter 1 holds 91 sentences of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem by Florence Morse Kingsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem

Common questions about reading Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem by Florence Morse Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem?

Yes. All 1505 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem take to read?

About 125 minutes of reading across 301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem section by section

How to work through Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stranger
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Comes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hungry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hunger
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tor, a Street Boy of Jerusalem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.