Chapter 21 of Looking Forward is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Looking Forward is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Newspapers in 1999. They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties. The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails. Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco. A Submarine Railway Accident.
Chapter 21 of Looking Forward is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
form or compose
From this reading “They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.”
plural of “delivery” — the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading “Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.”
marked by imagination, initiative, and readiness to undertake new projects
From this reading “They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.”
plural of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.”
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading “Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.”
of or relating to or using air (or a similar gas)
From this reading “The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.”
of or relating to the system for delivering mail
From this reading “The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.”
favoring or promoting progress
From this reading “They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.”
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 “A Submarine Railway Accident.”
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 Newspapers in 1999.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Submarine Railway Accident.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading A Submarine Railway Accident.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
form or compose
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
plural of “delivery” — the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
marked by imagination, initiative, and readiness to undertake new projects
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
at any time
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Newspapers in 1999.
plural of “liberty” — immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
plural of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading Newspapers in 1999.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
of or relating to or using air (or a similar gas)
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
of or relating to the system for delivering mail
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
favoring or promoting progress
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading A Submarine Railway Accident.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Four daily deliveries of mail between Manhattan and San Francisco.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
not in physical motion
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading A Submarine Railway Accident.
moving very fast
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are still progressive and enterprising as ever and constitute one of the bulwarks of American liberties.
conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
From this reading The Pneumatic tube postal service and swift delivery of mails.
Chapter 21 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 21 holds 137 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 21 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 Forward by Arthur Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Forward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Looking Forward 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 Forward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
