Chapter 34 of The Guardian Angel is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Guardian Angel is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?” “May I not be Clement, dearest? I would not see him at all, Myrtle. I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.” “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
Chapter 34 of The Guardian Angel is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
(of weather or climate) physically mild
From this reading ““May I not be Clement, dearest?”
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading ““May I not be Clement, dearest?”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading ““I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading ““I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.”
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading ““How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?””
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.””
widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers
From this reading “I would not see him at all, Myrtle.”
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.””
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.
(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 I would not see him at all, Myrtle.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I would not see him at all, Myrtle.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “May I not be Clement, dearest?
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
(of weather or climate) physically mild
From this reading “May I not be Clement, dearest?
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading “May I not be Clement, dearest?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I would not see him at all, Myrtle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “May I not be Clement, dearest?
a form of address for a man
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers
From this reading I would not see him at all, Myrtle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “May I not be Clement, dearest?
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
express in words
From this reading “I cannot endure it.--Kitty, tell him I am engaged, and cannot see him this evening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “How can I see that man this evening, Mr. Lindsay?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would not see him at all, Myrtle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I don't believe you will find much pleasure in listening to his fine speeches.”
Chapter 34 of The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 34 holds 160 sentences of The Guardian Angel, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 34 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 Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5334 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2697, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 444 minutes of reading across 1067 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Guardian Angel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Guardian Angel 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 Guardian Angel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
