Perfect Behavior
Perfect Behavior by Donald Ogden Stewart is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 324 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Perfect Behavior: A Guide for Ladies and Gentlemen in All Social Crises by Donald Ogden Stewart. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #1446.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Perfect Behavior
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 319 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of Perfect Behavior by Donald Ogden Stewart carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #1446, divided into 12 chapters and 324 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read Perfect Behavior in full?
The complete text of Perfect Behavior is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #1446 and divided into 324 sections.
This page carries the whole of Perfect Behavior by Donald Ogden Stewart, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1446, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 1620 sentences across 12 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Perfect Behavior divided for reading?
Perfect Behavior is presented in 12 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Perfect Behavior as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 324 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 12 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear Perfect Behavior read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Perfect Behavior can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Perfect Behavior can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Perfect Behavior
Common questions about reading Perfect Behavior by Donald Ogden Stewart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Perfect Behavior?
Yes. All 1620 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Perfect Behavior is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #1446, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Perfect Behavior take to read?
About 135 minutes of reading across 324 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Perfect Behavior section by section
How to work through Perfect Behavior section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Perfect Behavior to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Perfect Behavior
Words and structures a reader meets early in Perfect Behavior, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Guide
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Perfect Behavior; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Ladies
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Perfect Behavior; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Gentlemen
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Perfect Behavior; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Social
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Perfect Behavior; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.