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Looking Forward
Looking Forward

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Looking Forward is here in full — 21 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur Bird • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Looking Forward
Context Illustration Reading 1/4 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Conclusion.
In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.
The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.
Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.
In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Looking Forward

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Looking Forward is here in full — 21 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/4 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Conclusion.
/kənˈkluːʒən/
Line 2
In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.
/ɪn ˈsetɪŋ fɔːrθ æt leŋkθ ðə ˈɡlɔːriəs əˈtʃiːvmənts ʌv ðə ˈtwentiəθ ˈsentʃəri ðə ˈɔːθər hæz noʊ dɪˈzaɪər tuː rɑːb ˈaʊər naʊ ˈkloʊzɪŋ ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ ˈsentʃəri ʌv wʌn ˌaɪˈoʊtə ʌv ɪts ˈbrɪljəntli ɜːrnd ˈlɔːrəlz/
Line 3
The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.
/ðə əˈtʃiːvmənts ʌv ðə ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ ˈsentʃəri wɪl ɡroʊ tuː ðə læst ˈsɪləbəl ʌv rəˈkɔːrdɪd taɪm/
Line 4
Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.
/ðer ˌɪmˈprɪnt əˈpɑːn ðə ˈhɪstəri ʌv mæn ɪz ˌɪnˈdelɪbəl ənd ʃæl biː lɪŋkt ɪn ðə tʃeɪnz ʌv ɪˈtɜːrnəti/
Line 5
In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.
/ɪn ðə fiːld ʌv ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk dɪˈskʌvəri ðə ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ ˈsentʃəri hæz noʊ pɪr ɪn ɔːl ðə priˈsiːdɪŋ ˈeɪdʒəz/

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.

achievements noun US /əˈtʃiːvmənts/

plural of “achievement” — the action of accomplishing something

From this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
imprint noun US /ˌɪmˈprɪnt/

a distinctive influence

From this reading “Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
indelible adjective US /ˌɪnˈdelɪbəl/

cannot be removed or erased

From this reading “Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
iota noun US /ˌaɪˈoʊtə/

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

From this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laurels noun US /ˈlɔːrəlz/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
linked adjective US /lɪŋkt/

connected by a link, as railway cars or trailer trucks

From this reading “Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nineteenth adjective US /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twentieth noun US /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

nineteenth century adjective + noun

In this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

3,620 times in 426,211 chapters
twentieth century noun + noun

the century from 1901 to 2000

In this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

1,512 times in 426,211 chapters
scientific discovery adjective + noun

In this reading “In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.”

164 times in 426,211 chapters
at length preposition + noun

in a lengthy or prolix manner

In this reading “In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.”

83,317 times in 426,211 chapters
last syllable adjective + noun

In this reading “The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.”

312 times in 426,211 chapters
In the field preposition + article + noun counted as “in … field”

In this reading “In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.”

10,122 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 54

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.

achievementsnounUS /əˈtʃiːvmənts/

plural of “achievement” — the action of accomplishing something

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
agesnounUS /ˈeɪdʒəz/

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
brilliantlyadverbUS /ˈbrɪljəntli/

with brightness

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chainsnounUS /tʃeɪnz/

metal shackles; for hands or legs

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
closingnounUS /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/

the act of closing something

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ConclusionnounUS /kənˈkluːʒən/

a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration

From this reading Conclusion.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discoverynounUS /dɪˈskʌvəri/

the act of discovering something

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earnedadjectiveUS /ɜːrnd/

gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eternitynounUS /ɪˈtɜːrnəti/

time without end

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fieldnounUS /fiːld/

a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gloriousadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

having or deserving or conferring glory

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
growverbUS /ɡroʊ/

pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
imprintnounUS /ˌɪmˈprɪnt/

a distinctive influence

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
indelibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdelɪbəl/

cannot be removed or erased

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
iotanounUS /ˌaɪˈoʊtə/

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laurelsnounUS /ˈlɔːrəlz/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
linkedadjectiveUS /lɪŋkt/

connected by a link, as railway cars or trailer trucks

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nineteenthadjectiveUS /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
peernounUS /pɪr/

a person who is of equal standing with another in a group

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precedingadjectiveUS /priˈsiːdɪŋ/

existing or coming before

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recordedadjectiveUS /rəˈkɔːrdɪd/

set down or registered in a permanent form especially on film or tape for reproduction

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
robverbUS /rɑːb/

take something away by force or without the consent of the owner

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scientificadjectiveUS /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/

of or relating to the practice of science

From this reading In the field of scientific discovery the nineteenth century has no peer in all the preceding ages.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
settingnounUS /ˈsetɪŋ/

the context and environment in which something is set

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

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

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
syllablenounUS /ˈsɪləbəl/

a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twentiethnounUS /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading In setting forth at length the glorious achievements of the twentieth century, the Author has no desire to rob our now closing nineteenth century of one iota of its brilliantly earned laurels.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Their imprint upon the history of man is indelible and shall be linked in the chains of eternity.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading The achievements of the nineteenth century will grow to the last syllable of recorded time.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 28 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 21 sentences, grouped into 5 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 28 of Looking Forward contain?

Chapter 28 holds 21 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 21 sentences, grouped into 5 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 28 of Looking Forward?

Work through the 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 5 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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading Looking Forward

Common questions about reading Looking Forward by Arthur Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Looking Forward?

Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Looking Forward is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Looking Forward take to read?

About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Looking Forward section by section

How to work through Looking Forward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Looking Forward

Words and structures a reader meets early in Looking Forward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Looking
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Looking Forward; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Forward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Looking Forward; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dream
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Looking Forward; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
United
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Looking Forward; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.