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Past and Present — Vol. XIII
Past and Present — Vol. XIII

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Past and Present — Vol. XIII is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 21 of Past and Present — Vol. XIII by Thomas Carlyle holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 21 of Past and Present — Vol. XIII contain?

Chapter 21 holds 53 sentences of Past and Present — Vol. XIII, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Past and Present — Vol. XIII by Thomas Carlyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 Past and Present — Vol. XIII?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 Past and Present — Vol. XIII

Common questions about reading Past and Present — Vol. XIII by Thomas Carlyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Past and Present — Vol. XIII?

Yes. All 4278 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26159 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Past and Present — Vol. XIII is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26159, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Past and Present — Vol. XIII take to read?

About 356 minutes of reading across 856 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Past and Present — Vol. XIII section by section

How to work through Past and Present — Vol. XIII section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of Past and Present — Vol. XIII to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Past and Present — Vol. XIII

Words and structures a reader meets early in Past and Present — Vol. XIII, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Collected
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present — Vol. XIII; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Works
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present — Vol. XIII; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Present
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present — Vol. XIII; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present — Vol. XIII; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for Past and Present — Vol. XIII
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
HAPPY.
All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.
And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.
The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.
Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Past and Present — Vol. XIII

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Past and Present — Vol. XIII is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HAPPY.
Line 2
All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.
Line 3
And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.
Line 4
The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.
Line 5
Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.”

Alone adjective US /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading “All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.”

All words in this reading · 52

Every word is available to listen to. 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 And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

All

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

any

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

asserted

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

Battle

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

cotton-spinning

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

dignity

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

earnestness

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

ease

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

even

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

figures

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

god

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

gods

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

HAPPY

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

From this reading HAPPY.

here

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

highest

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

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

Infinite

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

Labour

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

life

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

like

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

man

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

manner

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

more

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

named

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

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

noble

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

once

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

OurdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

painful

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

religion

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

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

Sadness

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

said

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

Sorrow

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

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'

Sublime

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

too

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

From this reading And in like manner too, all dignity is painful; a life of ease is not for any man, nor for any god.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The life of all gods figures itself to us as a Sublime Sadness,--earnestness of Infinite Battle against Infinite Labour.

work

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

From this reading All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: be that here said and asserted once more.

Worship

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

From this reading Our highest religion is named the 'Worship of Sorrow.'