Chapter 17 of Imaginary Conversations and Poems is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Imaginary Conversations and Poems is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Petrarca._ Do not openly name him. _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression. He said to me, when I was at the worst: 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.' 'Ah!
Chapter 17 of Imaginary Conversations and Poems is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
not functioning properly
From this reading “'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'”
time without end
From this reading “'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'”
a small quantity of anything
From this reading “'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'”
in an open way
From this reading “_Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.”
approval to do something
From this reading “'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'”
an Italian poet famous for love lyrics (1304-1374)
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading “_Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.”
refrain from harming
From this reading “'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'”
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 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Ah!
not functioning properly
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
Italian poet (born in France) (1313-1375)
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
time without end
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
and nothing more
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
a small quantity of anything
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
to a great degree or extent
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
in an open way
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
approval to do something
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
an Italian poet famous for love lyrics (1304-1374)
From this reading _Petrarca._ Do not openly name him.
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading _Boccaccio._ He shall recognize himself by one single expression.
refrain from harming
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
at the time that
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
the least favorable outcome
From this reading He said to me, when I was at the worst:
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Ser Giovanni! it would not be much amiss (with permission!) if you begin to think (at any spare time), just a morsel, of eternity.'
Chapter 17 of Imaginary Conversations and Poems by Walter Savage Landor holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of Imaginary Conversations and Poems, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Imaginary Conversations and Poems by Walter Savage Landor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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.
Common questions about reading Imaginary Conversations and Poems by Walter Savage Landor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7349 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21628 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21628, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1470 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Imaginary Conversations and Poems section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Imaginary Conversations and Poems 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 Imaginary Conversations and Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
