Chapter 26 of Looking Forward is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Looking Forward is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Improved Social Conditions. Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century. The curbing of the tongue. The National punishment for wife beaters. The passing of the tramp.
Chapter 26 of Looking Forward is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
plural of “beater” — a worker who rouses wild game from under cover for a hunter
From this reading “The National punishment for wife beaters.”
an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)
From this reading “The curbing of the tongue.”
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading “Improved Social Conditions.”
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading “Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.”
of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country
From this reading “The National punishment for wife beaters.”
excluded from use or mention
From this reading “Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.”
a vagrant
From this reading “The passing of the tramp.”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading “Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.”
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.
the century from 1901 to 2000
In this reading “Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.”
In this reading “Improved Social Conditions.”
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.
plural of “beater” — a worker who rouses wild game from under cover for a hunter
From this reading The National punishment for wife beaters.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading Improved Social Conditions.
an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)
From this reading The curbing of the tongue.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The National punishment for wife beaters.
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading Improved Social Conditions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country
From this reading The National punishment for wife beaters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The curbing of the tongue.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading The passing of the tramp.
excluded from use or mention
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
the act of punishing
From this reading The National punishment for wife beaters.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading Improved Social Conditions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading The curbing of the tongue.
a vagrant
From this reading The passing of the tramp.
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading Kissing prohibited in the twentieth century.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading The National punishment for wife beaters.
Chapter 26 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 26 holds 189 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 26 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.
