Chapter 3 of A Modern Symposium is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Modern Symposium is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country. For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character. Consider, then, the American continent! How simple it is! How broad!
Chapter 3 of A Modern Symposium is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “How broad!”
deem to be
From this reading “Consider, then, the American continent!”
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading “Consider, then, the American continent!”
the totality of surrounding conditions
From this reading “For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.”
plural of “ideal” — the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
From this reading “"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.”
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading “For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.”
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading “"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.”
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading “"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.”
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 “"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.”
In this reading “"Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.”
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading How broad!
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
deem to be
From this reading Consider, then, the American continent!
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading Consider, then, the American continent!
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
the totality of surrounding conditions
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How simple it is!
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
plural of “ideal” — the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How simple it is!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How simple it is!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading How simple it is!
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Consider, then, the American continent!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Perhaps, however, before proceeding to analyse the spiritual ideals of the American people, I had better give some account of their country.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading For environment, as we all know now, has an incalculable effect upon character.
Chapter 3 of A Modern Symposium by G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes) Dickinson holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 3 holds 449 sentences of A Modern Symposium, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Modern Symposium by G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes) Dickinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 3 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 A Modern Symposium by G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes) Dickinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1693 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Symposium section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Modern Symposium 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 A Modern Symposium, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
