Chapter 29 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir. You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir." The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer. I started bolt upright in bed and stared around. I was in my underground chamber.
Chapter 29 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.”
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “I was in my underground chamber.”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."”
one who is employed to saw wood
From this reading “The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.”
under the level of the ground
From this reading “I was in my underground chamber.”
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading “I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “"It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.”
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's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
later than; following
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading I was in my underground chamber.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading You did not come out of it as quick as common, sir."
one who is employed to saw wood
From this reading The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.
term of address for a man
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
under the level of the ground
From this reading I was in my underground chamber.
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading I started bolt upright in bed and stared around.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The voice was the voice of my man Sawyer.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's a little after the time you told me to wake you, sir.
Chapter 29 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy holds 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 29 holds 292 sentences of Looking Backward: 2000-1887, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 29 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 Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25439 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25439, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Backward: 2000-1887 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 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 Looking Backward: 2000-1887, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
