Chapter 26 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once: --Come into my library with me. I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book. You haven't read the printed part yet. I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
Chapter 26 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.”
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:”
past form of “interleave” — provide (books) with blank leaves
From this reading “I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.”
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
From this reading “We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:”
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.”
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “You haven't read the printed part yet.”
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading “I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.”
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 I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
(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 We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You haven't read the printed part yet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
past form of “interleave” — provide (books) with blank leaves
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
a room where books are kept
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
no person; not anyone
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
on one occasion
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading You haven't read the printed part yet.
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading You haven't read the printed part yet.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I gave you a copy of it, but nobody reads a book that is given to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You haven't read the printed part yet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
at the time that
From this reading We had been discussing some knotty points one morning when he said all at once:
in the company of; together with
From this reading --Come into my library with me.
but in spite of that
From this reading You haven't read the printed part yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I want to read you some new passages from an interleaved copy of my book.
Chapter 26 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 26 holds 135 sentences of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 26 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, unabridged. 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.
