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How to Amuse Yourself and Others
How to Amuse Yourself and Others

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for How to Amuse Yourself and Others
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.
THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.
Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.
The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.
White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.
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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.

How to Amuse Yourself and Others

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.
Line 2
THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.
/ðiːz ˈbjuːtəfəl ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz ɑːr friː tuː ɔːl huː ker tuː pəˈzes ðem/
Line 3
Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.
/ˈevəri ˈɔːtəm kʌmz tuː ʌs ˈleɪdən wɪð ˈɔːrnəmənts wɪtʃ noʊ skɪld ˈwɜːrkmən kæn ˈraɪvəl/
Line 4
The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.
Line 5
White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

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.

asters noun US /ˈæstərz/

plural of “aster” — any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus Aster with showy daisylike flowers

From this reading “White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.”

bends noun US /bendz/

pain resulting from rapid change in pressure

From this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

carrot noun US /ˈkærət/

deep orange edible root of the cultivated carrot plant

From this reading “White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.”

daisies noun US /ˈdeɪziz/

plural of “daisy” — any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl

From this reading “White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.”

decorations noun US /ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “decoration” — something used to beautify

From this reading “NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.”

profusion noun US /prəˈfjuːʒən/

the property of being extremely abundant

From this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

sways noun US /sweɪz/

plural of “sway” — controlling influence

From this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

workman noun US /ˈwɜːrkmən/

an employee who performs manual or industrial labor

From this reading “Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.”

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.

stone walls noun + noun counted as “stone wall”

a fence built of rough stones; used to separate fields

In this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

wild flowers adjective + noun counted as “wild flower”

wild or uncultivated flowering plant

In this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

dark purple noun + noun

In this reading “White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.”

in the fields preposition + article + noun counted as “in … fields”

In this reading “The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

astersnounUS /ˈæstərz/

plural of “aster” — any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus Aster with showy daisylike flowers

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

autumnnounUS /ˈɔːtəm/

the season when the leaves fall from the trees

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

bendsnounUS /bendz/

pain resulting from rapid change in pressure

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

brightadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

carrotnounUS /ˈkærət/

deep orange edible root of the cultivated carrot plant

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

colornounUS /ˈkʌlər/

a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

comesnounUS /kʌmz/

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

daisiesnounUS /ˈdeɪziz/

plural of “daisy” — any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

DECORATIONSnounUS /ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “decoration” — something used to beautify

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

FALLverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

fieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

golden-rod

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

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

gracefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪsfəl/

characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

growverbUS /ɡroʊ/

pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

HOW

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

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

huesnounUS /hjuːz/

plural of “hue” — the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

kindsnounUS /kaɪndz/

plural of “kind” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

ladenadjectiveUS /ˈleɪdən/

filled with a great quantity

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

landscapenounUS /ˈlændskeɪp/

an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

NATURE'SnounUS /ˈneɪtʃərz/

possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

ornamentsnounUS /ˈɔːrnəmənts/

plural of “ornament” — something used to beautify

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

possessverbUS /pəˈzes/

have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

profusionnounUS /prəˈfjuːʒən/

the property of being extremely abundant

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

purplenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəl/

a purple color or pigment

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

rivalverbUS /ˈraɪvəl/

be equal to in quality or ability

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

skilledadjectiveUS /skɪld/

having or showing or requiring special skill

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

spreadingnounUS /ˈspredɪŋ/

process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

sumachnoun

a shrub or tree of the genus Rhus (usually limited to the non-poisonous members of the genus)

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

swaysnounUS /sweɪz/

plural of “sway” — controlling influence

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

THEMpronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

THESEdeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

USEnounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading NATURE’S FALL DECORATIONS, AND HOW TO USE THEM.

variedadjectiveUS /ˈverid/

characterized by variety

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

wallsnounUS /wɔːlz/

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

WhitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading THESE beautiful decorations are free to all who care to possess them.

wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading The graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

workmannounUS /ˈwɜːrkmən/

an employee who performs manual or industrial labor

From this reading Every autumn comes to us laden with ornaments which no skilled workman can rival.

yellowadjectiveUS /ˈjeloʊ/

of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk

From this reading White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white daisies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our bright fall days.

Chapter 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others by Lina Beard holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others contain?

Chapter 17 holds 95 sentences of How to Amuse Yourself and Others, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others by Lina Beard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 17 of How to Amuse Yourself and Others?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 How to Amuse Yourself and Others

Common questions about reading How to Amuse Yourself and Others by Lina Beard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of How to Amuse Yourself and Others?

Yes. All 3746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of How to Amuse Yourself and Others is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #52051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does How to Amuse Yourself and Others take to read?

About 312 minutes of reading across 750 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read How to Amuse Yourself and Others section by section

How to work through How to Amuse Yourself and Others section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 How to Amuse Yourself and Others

Words and structures a reader meets early in How to Amuse Yourself and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

American
A word that appears in the opening chapter of How to Amuse Yourself and Others; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Handy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of How to Amuse Yourself and Others; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of How to Amuse Yourself and Others; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cloth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of How to Amuse Yourself and Others; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.