Chapter 5 of Initial Studies in American Letters is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Initial Studies in American Letters is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS. 1837-1861. With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates. And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers. Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
Chapter 5 of Initial Studies in American Letters is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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 university in England
From this reading “THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.”
plural of “center” — an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading “And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.”
plural of “college” — the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading “And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.”
plural of “exception” — a deliberate act of omission
From this reading “With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.”
plural of “graduate” — a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)
From this reading “With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.”
of or associated with a province
From this reading “Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.”
plural of “scholar” — a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines
From this reading “THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.”
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading “Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1837-1861.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1837-1861.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
a university in England
From this reading THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.
plural of “center” — an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
plural of “college” — the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
under normal conditions
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
plural of “exception” — a deliberate act of omission
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
plural of “graduate” — a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
the force of workers available
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
of or associated with a province
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
plural of “scholar” — a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines
From this reading THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Most of them have been small and poor, and situated in little towns or provincial cities.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
which person or people
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With few exceptions, the men who have made American literature what it is have been college graduates.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet our colleges have not commonly been, in themselves, literary centers.
Chapter 5 of Initial Studies in American Letters by Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers holds 367 sentences, grouped into 74 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 5 holds 367 sentences of Initial Studies in American Letters, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Initial Studies in American Letters by Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 367 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
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