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Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)
Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.
It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.
The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.
One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.
The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.
/naʊ ðiːz ˈkʌntriz ɑːr ˈdɪfərənt ðeɪ wʊd duː ɔːl ðæt ɪf ɪt wɜːr ˈneɪtɪv/
Line 2
It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.
/ɪt ɪz truː ðeɪ preɪz ɡɑːd bʌt ðæt ɪz ˈmɪrli ə fɔːrˈmæləti ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ɪn ɪt ðeɪ ˈoʊ.pən aʊt ðer hoʊl hɑːrts tuː noʊ ˈfɔːrənər/
Line 3
The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.
Line 4
One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.
Line 5
The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.
/ðə ˈpɑːrti keɪm ʌp tuː ðə haʊs ənd wiː hæd ə ˈplezənt taɪm/

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.

critics noun US /ˈkrɪtɪks/

plural of “critic” — a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art

From this reading “The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.”

educated adjective US /ˈedʒəkeɪtɪd/

possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)

From this reading “One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.”

foreigner noun US /ˈfɔːrənər/

a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country

From this reading “It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.”

formality noun US /fɔːrˈmæləti/

a requirement of etiquette or custom

From this reading “It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.”

included adjective US /ˌɪnˈkluːdəd/

enclosed in the same envelope or package

From this reading “The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.”

jubilee noun US /ˈdʒuːbəliː/

a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)

From this reading “One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.”

musical adjective US /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/

characterized by or capable of producing music

From this reading “The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.”

technique noun US /tekˈniːk/

a practical method or art applied to some particular task

From this reading “The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

acquiredadjectiveUS /əˈkwaɪərd/

gotten through environmental forces

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

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 Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

countriesnounUS /ˈkʌntriz/

plural of “country” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

criticsnounUS /ˈkrɪtɪks/

plural of “critic” — a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

differentadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfərənt/

unlike in nature or quality or form or degree

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

educatedadjectiveUS /ˈedʒəkeɪtɪd/

possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

enthusiasmnounUS /ɪnˈθuːziæzəm/

a feeling of excitement

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

etc

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

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

foreignernounUS /ˈfɔːrənər/

a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

formalitynounUS /fɔːrˈmæləti/

a requirement of etiquette or custom

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

GeneraladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

GermannounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmən/

a person of German nationality

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

includedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkluːdəd/

enclosed in the same envelope or package

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

Joe

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

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

JohnsonnounUS /ˈdʒɑːnsən/

English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

jubileenounUS /ˈdʒuːbəliː/

a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

Jubilees

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

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

merelyadverbUS /ˈmɪrli/

and nothing more

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

musicaladjectiveUS /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/

characterized by or capable of producing music

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

nativeadjectiveUS /ˈneɪtɪv/

characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

praisenounUS /preɪz/

an expression of approval and commendation

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

pressverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

techniquenounUS /tekˈniːk/

a practical method or art applied to some particular task

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading One of the jubilee men is a son of General Joe Johnson, and was educated by him after the war.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The party came up to the house and we had a pleasant time.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading It is true they praise God, but that is merely a formality, and nothing in it; they open out their whole hearts to no foreigner.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The musical critics of the German press praise the Jubilees with great enthusiasm--acquired technique etc, included.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Now, these countries are different: they would do all that, if it were native.

Chapter 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Mark Twain holds 161 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 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) contain?

Chapter 21 holds 161 sentences of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900), unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 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 21 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)?

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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 4 (1886-1900)

Common questions about reading Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900)?

Yes. All 4330 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3196 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3196, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) take to read?

About 360 minutes of reading across 866 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) section by section

How to work through Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 4 (1886-1900)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Volume
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900); 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 4 (1886-1900); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Clemens's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.