Chapter 23 of Babbitt is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Babbitt is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I He was busy, from March to June. He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking. His wife and the neighbors were generous. Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent. In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
Chapter 23 of Babbitt is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading “Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.”
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction
From this reading “In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.”
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading “He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.”
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “I He was busy, from March to June.”
plural of “movie” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading “Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.”
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading “His wife and the neighbors were generous.”
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading “In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
march in a procession
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
plural of “movie” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Every evening he played bridge or attended the movies, and the days were blank of face and silent.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading He kept himself from the bewilderment of thinking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I He was busy, from March to June.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading His wife and the neighbors were generous.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In June, Mrs. Babbitt and Tinka went East, to stay with relatives, and Babbitt was free to do--he was not quite sure what.
Chapter 23 of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 23 holds 244 sentences of Babbitt, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 23 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 Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7557 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1156, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Babbitt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Babbitt 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 Babbitt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
