Chapter 7 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That Boy.--You bet! Give me a stick and see if I don't. And can you tell me why you like candy? That Boy.--Because I do. --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
Chapter 7 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
for the reason that
From this reading “That Boy.--Because I do.”
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “That Boy.--You bet!”
a youthful male person
From this reading “That Boy.--You bet!”
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading “And can you tell me why you like candy?”
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “--There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.”
the shell around the kernel of a nut
From this reading “--There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “Give me a stick and see if I don't.”
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “--There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
for the reason that
From this reading That Boy.--Because I do.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading That Boy.--You bet!
a youthful male person
From this reading That Boy.--You bet!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And can you tell me why you like candy?
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading And can you tell me why you like candy?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading That Boy.--Because I do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And can you tell me why you like candy?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
the shell around the kernel of a nut
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Give me a stick and see if I don't.
express in words
From this reading And can you tell me why you like candy?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That Boy.--You bet!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
in or at that place or location
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading --There, now, that is the whole matter in a nutshell.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And can you tell me why you like candy?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That Boy.--You bet!
Chapter 7 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 7 holds 127 sentences of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 7 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 Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2666 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2666, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poet at the Breakfast-Table section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table 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 Poet at the Breakfast-Table, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
