Chapter 21 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS. _First._--Of the bee. If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing. _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance. (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
Chapter 21 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “_First._--Of the bee.”
speaking of yourself in superlatives
From this reading “If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.”
the time at which something is supposed to begin
From this reading “COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.”
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “(I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)”
a unit of instruction
From this reading “_Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.”
Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in success. (Sự kiên trì, bền bỉ không bỏ cuộc.)
From this reading “_Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.”
plural of “saying” — a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.”
plural of “sunday” — first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading “COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.”
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.
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading _First._--Of the bee.
speaking of yourself in superlatives
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
the time at which something is supposed to begin
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _First._--Of the bee.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
a unit of instruction
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in success. (Sự kiên trì, bền bỉ không bỏ cuộc.)
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
plural of “saying” — a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
plural of “sunday” — first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading COMMENCEMENT OF MY SAYINGS FOR SUNDAYS.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _First._--Of the bee.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading _Moral._--Learn then from the bee, the lesson of silent perseverance.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (I think this _is_ the lesson to be learnt.)
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If the bee could talk, he would always be boasting of his business, and would do nothing.
Chapter 21 of Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand holds 86 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.
Chapter 21 holds 86 sentences of Happy-Thought Hall, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Happy-Thought Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Happy-Thought Hall 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 Happy-Thought Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
