Chapter 3 of Miscellaneous Aphorisms is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Miscellaneous Aphorisms is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal. It was the most premature definition ever given. Man is many things, but he is not rational. Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
Chapter 3 of Miscellaneous Aphorisms is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading “To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.”
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading “I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.”
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading “It was the most premature definition ever given.”
provide as food
From this reading “To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.”
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading “Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.”
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading “It was the most premature definition ever given.”
Based on or in accordance with reason or logic rather than turbulent emotions.
From this reading “I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Man is many things, but he is not rational.”
In this reading “To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.”
get involved in or with
In this reading “To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.”
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 wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
(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 To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
one or the other of two
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
at any time
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
provide as food
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
Based on or in accordance with reason or logic rather than turbulent emotions.
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To get into the best society nowadays one has either to feed people, amuse people, or shock people--that is all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the most premature definition ever given.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Man is many things, but he is not rational.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
which person or people
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal.
Chapter 3 of Miscellaneous Aphorisms by Oscar Wilde holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 3 holds 424 sentences of Miscellaneous Aphorisms, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Miscellaneous Aphorisms by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 3 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 Miscellaneous Aphorisms by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2117 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 176 minutes of reading across 424 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miscellaneous Aphorisms section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Miscellaneous Aphorisms 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 Miscellaneous Aphorisms, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
