Chapter 5 of Nature is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Nature is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LANGUAGE. LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man. Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree. 1. Words are signs of natural facts.
Chapter 5 of Nature is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “Words are signs of natural facts.”
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “LANGUAGE.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “Words are signs of natural facts.”
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “Words are signs of natural facts.”
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.”
three times as great or many
From this reading “Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.”
a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading “Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.”
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 1.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading LANGUAGE.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
three times as great or many
From this reading Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
the act of using
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading LANGUAGE is a third use which Nature subserves to man.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Words are signs of natural facts.
Chapter 5 of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 5 holds 111 sentences of Nature, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 5 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 Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 782 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 65 minutes of reading across 157 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nature section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Nature 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 Nature, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
