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Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)
Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.
I hear no dissent from this verdict.
I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.
You have photographed him accurately.
I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.
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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 — Volume 3 (1876-1885)

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.
/wiː hæv ɔːl red jɔːr tuː ˈoʊpənɪŋ ˈnʌmbərz ɪn ðə ˈsentʃəri ənd kənˈsɪdər ðem ˈɔːlmoʊst bɪˈɑːnd preɪz/
Line 2
I hear no dissent from this verdict.
/aɪ hiːr noʊ dɪˈsent frʌm ðɪs ˈvɜːrdɪkt/
Line 3
I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.
Line 4
You have photographed him accurately.
/juː hæv ˈfoʊtəɡræft hɪm ˈækjərətli/
Line 5
I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

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.

accurately adverb US /ˈækjərətli/

with few mistakes

From this reading “You have photographed him accurately.”

appreciated adjective US /əˈpriːʃieɪtɪd/

fully understood or grasped

From this reading “I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.”

auctioneer noun US /ˌɑːkʃəˈnɪr/

an agent who conducts an auction

From this reading “I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.”

dissent noun US /dɪˈsent/

(law) the difference of one judge's opinion from that of the majority

From this reading “I hear no dissent from this verdict.”

photographed verb US /ˈfoʊtəɡræft/

past form of “photograph” — record on photographic film

From this reading “You have photographed him accurately.”

slavery noun US /ˈsleɪvəri/

the state of being under the control of another person

From this reading “I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.”

untouched adjective US /ənˈtʌtʃt/

still full

From this reading “I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.”

verdict noun US /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/

(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment

From this reading “I hear no dissent from this verdict.”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

absencenounUS /ˈæbsəns/

the state of being absent

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

accuratelyadverbUS /ˈækjərətli/

with few mistakes

From this reading You have photographed him accurately.

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 We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

appreciatedadjectiveUS /əˈpriːʃieɪtɪd/

fully understood or grasped

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

auctioneernounUS /ˌɑːkʃəˈnɪr/

an agent who conducts an auction

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

CenturynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

chainsnounUS /tʃeɪnz/

metal shackles; for hands or legs

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

considerverbUS /kənˈsɪdər/

deem to be

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

dissentnounUS /dɪˈsent/

(law) the difference of one judge's opinion from that of the majority

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

enjoyedverbUS /ˌenˈdʒɔɪd/

past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading You have photographed him accurately.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

numbersnounUS /ˈnʌmbərz/

the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

personagenoun

another word for person; a person not meriting identification

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

photographedverbUS /ˈfoʊtəɡræft/

past form of “photograph” — record on photographic film

From this reading You have photographed him accurately.

praisenounUS /preɪz/

an expression of approval and commendation

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

realizedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

slaverynounUS /ˈsleɪvəri/

the state of being under the control of another person

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

untouchedadjectiveUS /ənˈtʌtʃt/

still full

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

utterlyadverbUS /ˈʌtərli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading I have been an utterly free person for a month or two; and I do not believe I ever so greatly appreciated and enjoyed--and realized the absence of the chains of slavery as I do this time.

verdictnounUS /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/

(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment

From this reading I hear no dissent from this verdict.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I did not know there was an untouched personage in American life, but I had forgotten the auctioneer.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You have photographed him accurately.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading We have all read your two opening numbers in the Century, and consider them almost beyond praise.

Chapter 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) contain?

Chapter 17 holds 162 sentences of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885), unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 17 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 — Volume 3 (1876-1885)

Common questions about reading Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)?

Yes. All 3348 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3195, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) take to read?

About 279 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) section by section

How to work through Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) to begin.

  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Volume
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chiefly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Howells
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.