Chapter 14 of The American Union Speaker is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The American Union Speaker is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CCI. SPEAK GENTLY. Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear. Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here. Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
Chapter 14 of The American Union Speaker is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
stick to firmly
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
an old form of “does”
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.”
make imperfect
From this reading “Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.”
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.”
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.
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
stick to firmly
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CCI.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
an old form of “does”
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
in a gradual manner
From this reading SPEAK GENTLY.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
make imperfect
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
not any; not one
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
express in speech
From this reading SPEAK GENTLY.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here.
Chapter 14 of The American Union Speaker by John D. (John Dudley) Philbrick holds 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 14 holds 352 sentences of The American Union Speaker, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The American Union Speaker by John D. (John Dudley) Philbrick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 14 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 Union Speaker by John D. (John Dudley) Philbrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10077 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7211 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7211, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2016 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The American Union Speaker section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The American Union Speaker 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 Union Speaker, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
