Chapter 17 of The American Language is here in full — 625 sentences across 125 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The American Language is here in full — 625 sentences across 125 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41. Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279. Worcester, 297. Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158. Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
Chapter 17 of The American Language is here in full — 625 sentences across 125 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/125 · 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.
reddish brown North American marmot
From this reading “wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.”
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Italian descent
From this reading “Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.”
United States lexicographer who was accused of plagiarism by Noah Webster (1784-1865)
From this reading “Worcester, 297.”
a savory sauce of vinegar and soy sauce and spices
From this reading “Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.”
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading “Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.”
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.”
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.
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 Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worcester, 297.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
reddish brown North American marmot
From this reading wonderful, /adv./, 226. won't, 61. wood-alcohol, 101. woodchuck, 41.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Italian descent
From this reading Woodhouse, 277. woolen, 245, 260. woollen, 245, 261. wop, 115, 279.
United States lexicographer who was accused of plagiarism by Noah Webster (1784-1865)
From this reading Worcester, 297.
a savory sauce of vinegar and soy sauce and spices
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Worcestershire, 297n. wore, 197. workhouse, 100, 105. world, 158.
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Worm Moon, 42n. worse, 230. worser, 230.
Chapter 17 of The American Language by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken holds 625 sentences, grouped into 125 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 17 holds 625 sentences of The American Language, unabridged, divided into 125 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The American Language by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 625 sentences, grouped into 125 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 125 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 125 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 17 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 The American Language by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6951 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43376 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43376, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 579 minutes of reading across 1391 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The American Language section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The American Language 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 The American Language, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
