Chapter 22 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan. 22, '98. DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures. I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.” There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
Chapter 22 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.”
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading “DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.”
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading “I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.””
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.”
United States writer and editor (1837-1920)
From this reading “DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.”
the capital and largest city of Austria; located on the Danube in northeastern Austria; was the home of Beethoven and Brahms and Haydn and Mozart and Schubert and Strauss
From this reading “HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.”
produce a literary work
From this reading “I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 22, '98.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 22, '98.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
dearly loved
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.
United States writer and editor (1837-1920)
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading DEAR HOWELLS,--Look at those ghastly figures.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
the capital and largest city of Austria; located on the Danube in northeastern Austria; was the home of Beethoven and Brahms and Haydn and Mozart and Schubert and Strauss
From this reading HOTEL METROPOLE, VIENNA, Jan.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no Susy then--there is no Susy now.
produce a literary work
From this reading I used to write it “Hartford, 1871.”
Chapter 22 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Mark Twain holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 22 holds 176 sentences of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900), unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 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 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 22 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 Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4330 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3196 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3196, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 360 minutes of reading across 866 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) 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 Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
