Project Gutenberg Library B1 C1

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 769 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Oliver Wendell Holmes29 chapters

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #2666.

29 chaptersComplete chronicle

Five linesIn each reading

US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Open Chapter I

Academic course · 29 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 754 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #2666, divided into 29 chapters and 769 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 The Poet at the Breakfast-Table in full?

The complete text of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #2666 and divided into 769 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #2666, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3841 sentences across 29 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 The Poet at the Breakfast-Table divided for reading?

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is presented in 29 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Poet at the Breakfast-Table as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 769 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 29 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 The Poet at the Breakfast-Table read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table 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 The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

Common questions about reading The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table?

Yes. All 3841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2666 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2666, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Poet at the Breakfast-Table take to read?

About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Poet at the Breakfast-Table section by section

How to work through The Poet at the Breakfast-Table section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Preface: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Third: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Series: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Breakfast-table: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

Where can I read The Poet at the Breakfast-Table in full?

How is The Poet at the Breakfast-Table divided for reading?

Can I hear The Poet at the Breakfast-Table read aloud?

Questions about reading The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

How to read The Poet at the Breakfast-Table section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table