Chapter 12 of Wait and Hope is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Wait and Hope is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben. He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him. Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend." "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely. "I suppose you live in the city?"
Chapter 12 of Wait and Hope is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
speak to
From this reading “He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.”
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading “An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.”
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.”
in a polite manner
From this reading “"Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.”
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 teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.”
In this reading “He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.”
In this reading “Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."”
In this reading “Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."”
live in the house where one works
In this reading “"I suppose you live in the city?"”
In this reading “"I suppose you live in the city?"”
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 An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
speak to
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
next to; at the side of
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
in a polite manner
From this reading "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.
in the near future
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
on the contrary
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Finally he said: "Fine day, my young friend."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading He glanced sharply at our hero, but did not immediately address him.
with ostentation; in an ostentatious manner
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir, very fine," returned Ben politely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I suppose you live in the city?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading An Adventure Presently a young man, rather showily dressed, sat down beside Ben.
Chapter 12 of Wait and Hope by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 12 holds 117 sentences of Wait and Hope, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Wait and Hope by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 12 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 Wait and Hope by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4191 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 839 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wait and Hope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Wait and Hope 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 Wait and Hope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
