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Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)
Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)
Context Illustration Reading 1/71 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
XLVI.
LETTERS 1907-08.
A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.
THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.
The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.
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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.

Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
XLVI.
Line 2
LETTERS 1907-08.
Line 3
A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.
/ə dɪˈɡriː frʌm ˈɑːksfərd/
Line 4
THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.
/ðə nuː hoʊm æt ˈredɪŋ/
Line 5
The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

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.

glorify verb US /ˈɡlɔːrəfaɪ/

praise, glorify, or honor

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

Howard noun US /ˈhaʊərd/

English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

humorists noun US /ˈhjuːmərɪsts/

plural of “humorist” — someone who acts speaks or writes in an amusing way

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

Kinship noun US /ˈkɪnʃɪp/

a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

Moore noun US /mʊr/

United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

oxford noun US /ˈɑːksfərd/

a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University

From this reading “A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.”

redding noun US /ˈredɪŋ/

a town in north central California on the Sacramento River

From this reading “THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.”

substance noun US /ˈsʌbstəns/

the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists

From this reading “The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

08

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LETTERS 1907-08.

1907

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LETTERS 1907-08.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.

addverbUS /æd/

make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

anxietynounUS /æŋˈzaɪəti/

(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.

authornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

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

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

copynounUS /ˈkɑːpi/

a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

DEGREEnounUS /dɪˈɡriː/

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.

glorifyverbUS /ˈɡlɔːrəfaɪ/

praise, glorify, or honor

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

HOMEnounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.

HowardnounUS /ˈhaʊərd/

English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

humoristsnounUS /ˈhjuːmərɪsts/

plural of “humorist” — someone who acts speaks or writes in an amusing way

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

JnounUS /dʒeɪ/

a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

KinshipnounUS /ˈkɪnʃɪp/

a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

laughnounUS /læf/

the sound of laughing

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

LETTERSnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading LETTERS 1907-08.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

MoorenounUS /mʊr/

United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

MostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

OXFORDnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/

a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University

From this reading A DEGREE FROM OXFORD.

pocket-books

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

readersnounUS /ˈriːdərz/

plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

REDDINGnounUS /ˈredɪŋ/

a town in north central California on the Sacramento River

From this reading THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

substancenounUS /ˈsʌbstəns/

the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE NEW HOME AT REDDING.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

UniversaladjectiveUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəl/

of worldwide scope or applicability

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The author, J. Howard Moore, sent a copy of his book, The Universal Kinship, with a letter in which he said: “Most humorists have no anxiety except to glorify themselves and add substance to their pocket-books by making their readers laugh.

XLVIadjective

being six more than forty

From this reading XLVI.

Chapter 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) by Mark Twain holds 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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.

What does chapter 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) contain?

Chapter 39 holds 359 sentences of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910), unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 39 of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)?

Work through the 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 72 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 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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 Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)

Common questions about reading Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)?

Yes. All 14985 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3199 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3199, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2997 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) section by section

How to work through Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910) to begin.

  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 Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Twain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nowhere
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Human
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Complete (1853-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.