Chapter 17 of How to Be a Man is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of How to Be a Man is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WRITING. WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind. It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion. One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_. But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
Chapter 17 of How to Be a Man is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.”
the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading “WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.”
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.”
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.”
plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.”
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading “But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.”
enlarged to an abnormal degree
From this reading “But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.”
third-person singular of “require” — require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading “One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.”
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 “It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
a person who is in charge
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
usually; as a rule
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
enlarged to an abnormal degree
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
by chance
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
third-person singular of “require” — require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
express in words
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WRITING, or COMPOSING, is one of the best exercises of the mind.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading But I am inclined to think the chief reason is, that the difficulties of writing are magnified.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
produce a literary work
From this reading One reason, perhaps, is, that, to write well, requires _hard thinking_.
the act of creating written works
From this reading WRITING.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading It is, however, I am sorry to say, an exercise to which young people generally show a great aversion.
Chapter 17 of How to Be a Man by Harvey Newcomb holds 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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 17 holds 32 sentences of How to Be a Man, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of How to Be a Man by Harvey Newcomb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 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.
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Yes. All 2281 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56263 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56263, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 457 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through How to Be a Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of How to Be a Man 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 How to Be a Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
