Chapter 9 of The So-Called Human Race is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The So-Called Human Race is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance. But what is romance? For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined. Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay. "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
Chapter 9 of The So-Called Human Race is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
possessive form of “conrad” — English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading “* * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.”
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading “For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.”
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading “For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.”
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading “Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.”
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
From this reading “* * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.”
up to the immediate present; most recent or most up-to-date
From this reading “* * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.”
English courtier (a favorite of Elizabeth I) who tried to colonize Virginia; introduced potatoes and tobacco to England (1552-1618)
From this reading “Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.”
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading “* * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.”
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.
In this reading “For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.”
a relationship between two lovers
In this reading “"Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."”
In this reading “For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.”
In this reading “For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.”
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 For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what is romance?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
possessive form of “conrad” — English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
up to the immediate present; most recent or most up-to-date
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
English courtier (a favorite of Elizabeth I) who tried to colonize Virginia; introduced potatoes and tobacco to England (1552-1618)
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
new
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
that is looked for
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
the environmental condition
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Romance," said he, "is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Walter Raleigh came the nearest to it in a recent essay.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what is romance?
during the time that
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
the words that are spoken
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading * * * Joseph Conrad's latest yarn is the essence of romance.
a late time of life
From this reading For years we have sought a definition in ten words; but while romance is easily recognized, it is with difficulty defined.
Chapter 9 of The So-Called Human Race by Bert Leston Taylor holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 9 holds 396 sentences of The So-Called Human Race, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The So-Called Human Race by Bert Leston Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 9 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 So-Called Human Race by Bert Leston Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3744 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31138 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31138, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 312 minutes of reading across 749 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The So-Called Human Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The So-Called Human Race 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 So-Called Human Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
