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Four American poets
Four American poets

Chapter XXXIX

Chapter 39 of Four American poets is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Sherwin Cody • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Four American poets
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.
If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.
Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?
Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Four American poets

Chapter XXXIX

Chapter 39 of Four American poets is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.
Line 2
If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.
/ɪf ˈenibədi held ə ˈmiːtɪŋ əˈbaʊt ˈeniθɪŋ ənd hoʊmz wɑːz æskt tuː red ə ˈpoʊəm hiː ˈkaɪndli kənˈsentɪd tuː duː soʊ/
Line 3
Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?
/huː ˈevər hɜːrd ʌv ˈoʊpənɪŋ ə ˈmiːtɪŋ ʌv ə ˈmedəkəl səˈsaɪəti wɪð ə ˈpoʊəm/
Line 4
Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
/jet hoʊmz red æn ərˈɪdʒənəl ˈpoʊəm æt ˈmeni ə ˈmiːtɪŋ ʌv ðə ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts ˈmedəkəl səˈsaɪəti/
Line 5
It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

Learner Dictionary

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.

consented verb US /kənˈsentɪd/

past form of “consent” — give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to

From this reading “If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Holmes noun US /hoʊmz/

a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle

From this reading ““THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Massachusetts noun US /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
medical adjective US /ˈmedəkəl/

relating to the study or practice of medicine

From this reading “Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
occasional adjective US /əˈkeɪʒənəl/

occurring from time to time

From this reading ““THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poem noun US /ˈpoʊəm/

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading “If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poems noun US /ˈpoʊəmz/

plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading “It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yearly noun US /ˈjɪrli/

a reference book that is published regularly once every year

From this reading “It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

original poem adjective + noun

In this reading “Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.”

213 times in 426,211 chapters
kindly consented adjective + noun counted as “kindly consent”

In this reading “If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.”

219 times in 426,211 chapters
ever heard adverb + adjective

In this reading “Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?”

12,142 times in 426,211 chapters
read a poem verb + article + noun counted as “read … poem”

In this reading “If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.”

275 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 47

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.

29

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anybodypronounUS /ˈenibədi/

any person at all

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CLASSnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consentedverbUS /kənˈsentɪd/

past form of “consent” — give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FAMOUSadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪməs/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HolmesnounUS /hoʊmz/

a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MassachusettsnounUS /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
medicaladjectiveUS /ˈmedəkəl/

relating to the study or practice of medicine

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/

occurring from time to time

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oftenest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

Pending verification
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poemnounUS /ˈpoʊəm/

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poemsnounUS /ˈpoʊəmz/

plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poetnounUS /ˈpoʊət/

a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
societynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading If anybody held a meeting about anything, and Holmes was asked to read a poem, he kindly consented to do so.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” Holmes was the poet of the occasional, if ever there was one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Who ever heard of opening a meeting of a medical society with a poem?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearlynounUS /ˈjɪrli/

a reference book that is published regularly once every year

From this reading It was at the yearly meeting of “the famous class of ’29” that he read his poems oftenest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet Holmes read an original poem at many a meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 39 of Four American poets by Sherwin Cody holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

What does chapter 39 of Four American poets contain?

Chapter 39 holds 89 sentences of Four American poets, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of Four American poets by Sherwin Cody exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

How do I study chapter 39 of Four American poets?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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.

Can chapter 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.

Questions about reading Four American poets

Common questions about reading Four American poets by Sherwin Cody on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Four American poets?

Yes. All 1981 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76822 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Four American poets is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #76822, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Four American poets take to read?

About 165 minutes of reading across 397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Four American poets section by section

How to work through Four American poets section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Four American poets to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Four American poets

Words and structures a reader meets early in Four American poets, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Sherwin
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four American poets; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four American poets; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Short
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four American poets; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four American poets; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.