Letters to Judd, an American Workingman

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Upton Sinclair • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Letters to Judd, an American Workingman

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

Why didn’t they “do something.”

The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/18

Letters to Judd, an American Workingman

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

Line 2

Why didn’t they “do something.”

Line 3

The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

Line 4

It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

/ɪt ɪz ʌv ðə ˈneɪtʃər ʌv welθ tuː biː ˈpaʊərfəl ənd tuː juːs ɪts ˈpaʊər tuː prəˈtekt ənd pərˈpetʃəweɪt ˌɪtˈself/

Line 5

Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

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.

growing noun US /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading “MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.”

Jesus noun US /ˈdʒiːzəs/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading “Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.””

perpetuate verb US /pərˈpetʃəweɪt/

cause to continue or prevail

From this reading “It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.”

poorer adjective US /ˈpuːrər/

comparative of “poor” — deserving or inciting pity

From this reading “MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.”

powerful adjective US /ˈpaʊərfəl/

having great power or force or potency or effect

From this reading “It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.”

protect verb US /prəˈtekt/

shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage

From this reading “It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.”

richer adjective US /ˈrɪtʃər/

comparative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading “MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.”

wealth noun US /welθ/

the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money

From this reading “It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.”

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.

wonder why noun + noun

In this reading “MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.”

read about verb + particle

In this reading “MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

didn't

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

From this reading Why didn’t they “do something.”

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Why didn’t they “do something.”

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

growingnounUS /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

hathauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/

an old form of “has”

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

JesusnounUS /ˈdʒiːzəs/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

JUDD

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

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

naturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

perpetuateverbUS /pərˈpetʃəweɪt/

cause to continue or prevail

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

pooreradjectiveUS /ˈpuːrər/

comparative of “poor” — deserving or inciting pity

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

powerfuladjectiveUS /ˈpaʊərfəl/

having great power or force or potency or effect

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

protectverbUS /prəˈtekt/

shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

richeradjectiveUS /ˈrɪtʃər/

comparative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

seemeth

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

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Why didn’t they “do something.”

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Why didn’t they “do something.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

wealthnounUS /welθ/

the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money

From this reading It is of the nature of wealth to be powerful, and to use its power to protect and perpetuate itself.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

Whosoever

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

From this reading Jesus said: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

wouldn't

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

From this reading The answer is, they tried to, but the rich wouldn’t let them.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MY DEAR JUDD: You read about the rich growing richer and the poor poorer, and you wonder why the poor have stood it.

Chapter 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman by Upton Sinclair holds 94 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 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman contain?

Chapter 9 holds 94 sentences of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 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 9 of Letters to Judd, an American Workingman?

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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter IX

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