Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2)

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so.

Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXVIII Reading 1/21

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career. Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively. He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre. While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so. Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

Line 2

Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

Line 3

He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

Line 4

/waɪl jet ˈlɪtərəli æn ˈɪnfənt hiː hæd bɪn prəˈduːst əˈpɑːn ðə steɪdʒ tuː muːv ˈspekteɪtərz ˈmɪrli baɪ hɪz ˈprezəns fɔːr ˈɔːθərz ˈiːvɪn ðen wɜːr əˈkweɪntɪd wɪð ðɪs ˈnætʃərəl ənd ˈveri ˈɡɪltlɪs moʊd ʌv ˈduːɪŋ soʊ/

Line 5

Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

/ðʌs hɪz fɜːrst ˈfɑːðər ɔːr ˈmʌðər ɪn ˈfeɪvərɪt ˈpiːsəz proʊˈkjʊrd hɪm ˌæprəˈbeɪʃən bɪˈfɔːr hiː ˌʌndərˈstʊd wʌt wɑːz ment baɪ ðæt ˈklæpɪŋ ʌv ðə hændz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

approbation noun US /ˌæprəˈbeɪʃən/

official approval

From this reading “Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.”

authors noun US /ˈɔːθərz/

plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading “While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so.”

clapping noun US /ˈklæpɪŋ/

a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together

From this reading “Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.”

confidential adjective US /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəl/

entrusted with private information and the confidence of another

From this reading “Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.”

guiltless adjective US /ˈɡɪltlɪs/

free from evil or guilt

Piecemeal adjective US /ˈpiːsmiːl/

one thing at a time

From this reading “Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.”

procured verb US /proʊˈkjʊrd/

past form of “procure” — get by special effort

From this reading “Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.”

spectators noun US /ˈspekteɪtərz/

plural of “spectator” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

became acquainted verb + adjective counted as “become acquainted”

In this reading “It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.”

deep interest adjective + noun

In this reading “It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.”

any thing adjective + noun

In this reading “Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.”

upon the stage preposition + article + noun counted as “upon … stage”

In this reading “While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so.”

meant by verb + particle counted as “mean by”

In this reading “Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.”

All words in this reading · 80

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.

acquaintedadjectiveUS /əˈkweɪntɪd/

having fair knowledge of

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

approbationnounUS /ˌæprəˈbeɪʃən/

official approval

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

authorsnounUS /ˈɔːθərz/

plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

becameverbUS /bɪˈkeɪm/

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

careernounUS /kərˈɪr/

the particular occupation for which you are trained

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

clappingnounUS /ˈklæpɪŋ/

a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

confidentialadjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəl/

entrusted with private information and the confidence of another

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

connectively

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/

-ing form of “do” — engage in

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

extraordinaryadjectiveUS /ˌekstrəˈɔːrdəneri/

beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

fashionnounUS /ˈfæʃən/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

favoritenounUS /ˈfeɪvərɪt/

something regarded with special favor or liking

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

guiltlessadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪltlɪs/

free from evil or guilt

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

infantnounUS /ˈɪnfənt/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

literallyadverbUS /ˈlɪtərəli/

in a literal sense

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

meantverbUS /ment/

inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

merelyadverbUS /ˈmɪrli/

and nothing more

modenounUS /moʊd/

how something is done or how it happens

MothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

moveverbUS /muːv/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

PiecemealadjectiveUS /ˈpiːsmiːl/

one thing at a time

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

piecesnounUS /ˈpiːsəz/

plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/

the state of being present; current existence

procuredverbUS /proʊˈkjʊrd/

past form of “procure” — get by special effort

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

producedverbUS /prəˈduːst/

past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

Serlo's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

spectatorsnounUS /ˈspekteɪtərz/

plural of “spectator” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

suckledadjective

(of an infant) breast-fed

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

theatrenounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the theatre.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

ThusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any thing connectively.

understoodadjectiveUS /ˌʌndərˈstʊd/

fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the hands.

WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the history of Serlo's career.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

Chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

What does chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 28 holds 106 sentences of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

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Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Vocabulary met early in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter XXVIII

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