Chapter 28 of Mark Twain's Speeches is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Mark Twain's Speeches is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding. I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it. I revere that library. It is the author's friend. I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
Chapter 28 of Mark Twain's Speeches is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading “The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.”
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “It is the author's friend.”
the people of Great Britain
From this reading “The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.”
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.”
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading “The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.”
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading “I revere that library.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading It is the author's friend.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading It is the author's friend.
only a very short time before
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is the author's friend.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
a room where books are kept
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading I revere that library.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading I don't care how mean a book is, it always takes one copy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I revere that library.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The library at the British Museum I find particularly astounding.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading I have read there hours together, and hardly made an impression on it.
Chapter 28 of Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 28 holds 170 sentences of Mark Twain's Speeches, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 28 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 Speeches by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4769 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3188, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 397 minutes of reading across 954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Twain's Speeches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Mark Twain's Speeches 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 Speeches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
