Chapter 25 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them. "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife. "It's very odd. I wonder what I'd better do, Robert. I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
Chapter 25 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
rules governing socially acceptable behavior
From this reading “I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.”
not divisible by two
From this reading “"It's very odd.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “"They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.”
by or with respect to society
From this reading “They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.”
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
Having no one else present.
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
rules governing socially acceptable behavior
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's very odd.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
not divisible by two
From this reading "It's very odd.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
by or with respect to society
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading I don't know the etiquette of these small towns.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
precisely as stated
From this reading "It's very odd.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "They let us severely alone," he was saying one night to his wife.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading They had been there nearly two weeks without meeting any of them socially, and Robert was beginning to change his opinion about them.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder what I'd better do, Robert.
Chapter 25 of Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 25 holds 233 sentences of Main-Travelled Roads, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 25 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 Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6662 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2809 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2809, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 555 minutes of reading across 1333 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Main-Travelled Roads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Main-Travelled Roads 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 Main-Travelled Roads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
