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Definition: Read |
ReadAdjective1. Having been read; often used in combination; "a widely read newspaper". Noun1. Something that is read; "the article was a very good read". Verb1. Interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?". 2. Have or contain a certain wording or form; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?". 3. Look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed; "The King will read the proclamation at noon". 4. Obtain data from magnetic tapes; "This dictionary can be read by the computer". 5. Interpret the significance of, as of palms, tea leaves, intestines, the sky, etc.; also of human behavior; "She read the sky and predicted rain"; "I can't read his strange behavior". 6. Interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression; "I read this address as a satire"; "How should I take this message?"; You can't take credit for this!". 7. Indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'". 8. Be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam". 9. Audition for a stage role by reading parts of a role; "He is auditioning for Julius Cesar at Stratford this year". 10. : to hear and understand; "I read you loud and clear!". 11. : make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
"Read" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "ruddy", "with a pinkish complexion". |
Date "read" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | In computer operations, to acquire information, usually from some form of storage. See write. (references) |
Literature | Read or ~~~Read Read (Simon), alluded to by Ben Jonson in the Alchemist, i. 2, was Simon Read, of St. George's, Southwark, professor of physic. Rymer, in his Foedera, vol. xvi., says, "he was indicted for invoking evil spirits in order to find out the name of a person who, in 1608, stole 37 10s. from Tobias Mathews, of St. Mary Steynings, London. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Literature is literally "an acquaintance with letters" (as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary), but has generally come to identify a collection of texts. Nations can have literatures, as can corporations, philosophical schools or historical periods. It is commonly held that a literature of a nation, for example, is the collection of texts which make it a whole nation. The Hebrew Bible, Beowulf, the Iliad and the Odyssey and the American constitution, all fall within this definition of a kind of literature. More generally, a literature is equated with a collection of stories, poems and plays that revolve around a particular topic. In this case, the stories, poems and plays may or may not have nationalistic implications. The Western Canon is one such literature.
Classifying a specific item as being part of a literature (be it American literature, advertising literature, gay and lesbian literature or Roman literature) is very difficult. To some people, "literature" can be broadly applied to any symbolic record which can include images, sculptures, as well as letters. To others, a literature must only include examples of text composed of letters, or other narrowly defined examples of symbolic written language (hieroglyphs, for example). Even more conservative interpreters of the concept would demand that the text have a physical form, usually on paper or some other portable form, to the exclusion of inscriptions or digital media.
Furthermore, there is a perceived difference between "literature" and some popular forms of written work. The terms "literary fiction" and "literary merit" are often used to distinguish between individual works. For example, the works of Charles Dickens are perceived by almost everyone as being "literature", whereas the works of Jeffrey Archer tend to be looked down on as unworthy of inclusion under the general heading of English literature. Works may be excluded if, for example, the standard of grammar and syntax is poor, the story unbelievable or disjointed, the characters inconsistent or unconvincing. Genre fiction (e.g. romance, crime, science fiction) is sometimes excluded from consideration as "literature".
Frequently, these boundaries are crossed by the texts that make up literature. Illustrated stories, hypertexts, cave paintings and inscribed monuments have all at one time or another pressed the boundaries of what is and is not literature.
Forms of literature
Poetry
A poem is a composition usually written in verse. Poems rely heavily on imagery, precise word choice, and metaphor, may be written in measures consisting of patterns of stresses (metric feet), and may be rhymed or unrhymed. It is difficult to characterize poetry precisely. Typically, though, poetry is literature that makes some significant use of the formal properties of the words it uses--those properties attached to the written or spoken form of a word, rather than to its meaning. Metre depends on syllables and speaking rhythms; rhyme and alliteration depend on words having similar pronunciations. Some contemporary poets, such as E. E. Cummings, make extensive use of the visual form of a word.Poetry is perhaps the oldest form of literature: The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh dates from around 3000 B.C.; the Bible and the works of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Much poetry is written in specific forms: the haiku, the limerick, the sonnet, for example. A haiku must have seventeen syllables, distributed over three lines in groups of five, seven, and five, and should have an image of a season and something to do with nature. A limerick has five lines, with a rhyme scheme of AABBA, and line lengths of 3,3,2,2,3 stressed syllables.
Some poetic norms are language-specific: Greek poetry rarely rhymes, Italian or French poetry often does, English and German can go either way (although non-rhyming poetry is often, perhaps unfairly, treated as more "serious"). Perhaps the most paradigmatic style of English poetry (exemplified in Shakespeare and Milton) is blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter. Some languages prefer longer lines; some shorter. Some of these conventions result from the ease of fitting a language's vocabulary and grammar into certain structures rather than others (for example, some languages contain more rhyming words than others, or typically have longer words). Other structural conventions are historical accidents, resulting from many speakers of a language associating good poetry with a verse form preferred by a particular good poet.
Works for theatre (see below) were traditionally written in verse. This is now rare, although many would argue that the language of drama remains intrinsically poetic.
Drama
A play is another classical literary form that has continued to evolve over the years, comprised chiefly of dialog between characters, usually intended for dramatic / theatrical (see theatre) performance rather than reading. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries opera developed as a combination of poetry, drama, and music. Nearly all drama was in verse form until comparatively recently.
Greek drama is the earliest we have substantial knowledge of. The Tragedy developed as a performance associated with religious and civic festivals, typically enacting or developing upon well-known themes in history or mythology. Tragedies were generally very serious in theme and treated important conflicts in human nature, but were not necessarily "tragic" as the word is now used--meaning sad and without a happy ending. Comedy was a later development; Greek festivals eventually came to include three tragedies balanced by a comedy or Satyr Play.
Modern theatre does not in general adhere to any of these restrictions of form or theme. A play is anything written for performance by actors (screenplays, for example); and even some things that are not; many contemporary writers have taken advantage of the dialogue-centred character of plays as a way of presenting literary work that is intended simply to be read, not performed.
Essays
An essay is a discussion of a topic from an author's personal point of view, exemplified by works by Francis Bacon or Charles Lamb. A memoir is the story of an author's life from his personal point of view. An epistle is usually a formal, didactic, or elegant letter.
Prose Fiction
"Prose" denotes writing that does not adhere to any particular formal structures (other than simple grammar); "non-poetic writing," writing, perhaps. The term is sometimes used pejoratively, but prosaic writing is simply writing that says something without necessarily trying to say it in a beautiful way, or using beautiful words. Prose writing can of course be beautiful; the suggestion then is that it is not beautiful in virtue of the formal features of words (rhymes, alliteration, meter), but the distinction does not need to be marked precisely, and perhaps cannot be. There is, of course, the "prose poem," which attempts to convey the aesthetic richness typical of poetry using only prose; and there is the "free verse", which is poetry not adhering to any of the strictures of one or another formal poetic style.
Prose is the normal form of writing for fiction: novels, short stories, and so forth. (The term "fiction" does not normally apply to poetry, even poetry used to tell stories.) All of these exist in occasional scattered form throughout history, but have not developed into systematic and discrete literary forms until relatively recently. Prose works of fiction are sometimes categorized by length. The lines are somewhat arbitrary, since one can write a work with any number of words; yet publishing convention dictates the following: A short story is prose writing of less than 10,000 to 20,000 words (and usually more than 500 words) which may or may not have a narrative arc. A story more than about 20,000 words is called a novella. Beyond that, especially when beyond 50,000 words, a work of fiction is called a novel. For an interesting discussion about short stories from their originating time, see Edgar Allan Poe's ....
A novel is simply a long story written in prose; yet it is a comparatively recent development. In Europe the first significant novel is perhaps Don Quixote, published in 1600. Yet earlier works, such as the Decameron, the Canterbury Tales have comparable forms, and would probably be called novels if they were written today. Earlier works in Asia, such as China's Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Japan's Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki, even more strongly resemble the novel as we now think of it.
Early novels in Europe were not, at the time, viewed as significant literature. Perhaps this was because "mere" prose writing was seen as easy and so unimportant. It has become clear, however, that prose writing can be aesthetically pleasing without adhering to poetic forms; and the freedom the author gains in not having to concern himself with verse structure often translates into a more complex plot or one richer in precise detail than is typical of the plots even of narrative poetry. This also frees the author to experiment with many different literary styles--including poetry--in the scope of a single novel.
. See Ian Watt's The Rise of the Novel. [This definition needs to be expanded]
Other Prose Literature
Philosophy, history, journalism, and legal and scientific writings have traditionally been called literature. They are among the oldest prose writings in existence; novels and prose stories earned the names "fiction" to distinguish them from factual writing or nonfiction, which is what prose has historically been used for.
This has become less so in the case of science over the last two centuries, as advances and specialization have made new scientific research inaccessible to most audiences; science is now published mostly in journals. Scientific works of Euclid, Aristotle, Copernicus, and Newton still possess great value; but since the science in them is largely outdated, they can no longer be used for scientific instruction, yet they are too technical to sit well in most literature programmes. They are now read less and less outside of history of science programmes. There are a number of books "popularizing" science which might still deserve the title "literature"; history will tell.
Philosophy too has become an increasingly academic discipline. This is lamented by more of its practicitioners than was the case with the sciences; nonetheless most new philosophical work is done in academic journals. Major philosophers through history: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Descartes, Nietzsche--have become as canonical as any writers can be. Some contemporary philosophy undoubtedly merits being called "literature"--the work of Wittgenstein, for example; but much of it does not, and some areas, such as logic, have become extremely technical to the same degree as the sciences.
A great deal of historical writing can still be called literature, particularly the genre known as creative nonfiction as can a great deal of journalism, literary journalism. However these areas have become extremely large, and often their purpose is just utilitarian: to record data or convey immediate information. As a result the writing in these fields is not as a rule literary, although it often and in its better moments is. Major historians include Herodotus, Thucydides, Procopius, all of whom are considered canonical literary figures. Law is a less clear case. Some writings of Plato and Aristotle, or even the early parts of the Bible, might count as legal. The law tables of Hammurabi of Babylon might count. Roman civil law was codified during the reign of Justinian I of Byzantium, and this is considered significant literature. The founding documents of many countries, including the Constitution of the United States, are treated as literature, howver legal writing is rarely noted now for its literary merits.
Most of these fields, then, through specialization or proliferation, no longer generally constitute "literature" in the sense under discussion. They may sometimes be "literary literature"; more often they are what might be called "technical literature" or "professional literature."
Somewhat Related Narrative Forms
Comics are stories told in a combination of sequential artwork,dialogue and text.
Genres of literature
- Alternate history
- Autobiography
- Bildungsroman
- Biography
- Children's literature
- Constrained writing
- Diaries and Journals
- Fiction
- Crime fiction, Detective fiction
- Family Saga
- Fantasy
- Gothic
- Historical fiction
- Historiographical metafiction
- Horror
- Legal thriller
- Mystery
- Romance
- Satire
- Science fiction
- The Slave narrative
- Spy fiction/Political thriller
- Thriller
- Western
- Oral Narrative (Oral History)
- Poetry
Literary techniques
- Epistolary novel
- First-person narrative
- Omniscient narrator
- Transcription
- Translation
- Vision / Prophecy
- Story within a story
- Flashback
- Metafiction
- Fictional guidebook
- False document
- Lipogram
- Plagiarism
Literary figures
- Authors
- Critics
- Dramatists
- Essayists
- Journalist
- Novelists
- Poets
- Short story authors
- Writers
Literature by country or language
- Anglo-Welsh literature
- Babylonian literature and science
- Canadian literature
- Chinese literature
- Literature of the Czech Republic
- Danish Literature
- English literature
- French literature
- German literature
- Greek literature
- Irish literature
- Italian literature
- Japanese literature
- Korean literature
- Latin literature
- Malayalam literature
- New Zealand literature
- Norwegian literature
- Pakistani literature
- Polish literature
- Romanian literature
- Russian literature
- Scottish literature
- Slovak literature
- Slovene literature
- Tamil Literature
- Indian writing in English
Literary Analysis
- Analyzing Literature
- Analyzing Fiction
- Analyzing Plays
- Analyzing Poetry
- Character Analysis
Story Elements
- Elements of Plot
- Figurative Language
- Setting Tone
Themes in literature
- Chess in early literature
- Adultery in literature
- Family life in literature
- Generation in literature
- Heroines in literature
- Anti-heroes
- Losers in literature
- Norse mythological influences on later literature
- Post-colonialism in literature
- Robots in literature
- School and university in literature
- Smuggling in literature
- Technology and Culture in literature
- Tourism in literature
Literary Periods
- Pre-Modern (Medieval)
- Old English
- Middle English
- Early Modern (Renaissance)
- Elizabethan
- Jacobean
- Caroline
- Commonwealth
- Neoclassical
- Restoration
- Augustan
- Age of Sensibility
- Romantic
- Victorian
- Edwardian
- Georgian
- Modern
- Post-Modern
Other
- Blindness literature
- Literature cycle
- Rabbinic literature
See also
- List of books
- List of authors
- Cultural movement for literary movements.
- List of prizes, medals, and awards for literary prizes.
External links
See also: Literature basic topics
- Google: Literature, Electronic Text Archives, Magazines and E-zines, Online Writing, Writers Resources, Libraries, Digital, Cataloguing, Metadata, Distance Learning
- T. Miles: Resources for Research and Writing
- nzdl.org: The New Zealand Digital Library
- The Universal Library, Books, Collections
- Free computer books online
- e-zine-list: John Labovitz's e-zine-list
- AnyLit.com - an online publisher of literature
- Project Gutenberg Online Library
- Abacci - Project Gutenberg texts matched with Amazon reviews
- George MacDonald Complete E-Texts
- Internet Book Database of Fiction A community based discussion group & database of fiction
- Faerie Tales and Romantic Literature
- Free Books & Book Reviews Online
- Internet Book List - A database of many books with user reviews and ratings
- Blackmask Online A very large selection of electronic online texts by a wide variety of authors from a wide range of literature.
- The Online Books Page A very good search engine for the free online ebooks
- [1] An excellent resource on paraliterature, and Literature.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Literature."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
simple:Reading This article is about reading the activity. For the English town, see Reading, England, for other places see Reading (disambiguation). Reading is the process of retrieving some form of stored information or ideas. These are usually some sort of representation of language, as symbols to be examined by sight, or by touch (for example Braille). Other types of reading may not be language-based, such as music notation or pictograms. By analogy, in computer science, reading is acquiring of data from some sort of computer storage.Reading by humans is mostly done from paper, but other media are used, such as carved stone, chalk on blackboard: anything that can hold a mark. More recently these include computer displays, television and other displays in devices such as mobile phones.
The process of recording information to later be read is writing. In the case of computer and microfiche storage there is the separate step of displaying the written text. For humans reading is usually faster and easier than writing.
Reading is typically an individual activity, although on occasion a person will read out loud for the benefit of other listeners. Reading aloud for one's own use, for better concentration, is a form of intrapersonal communication.
Literacy is the ability to read and write; illiteracy is usually caused by not having had the opportunity to learn these. Apart from that, sufferers of dyslexia have difficulty reading and/or writing.
About acquiring reading skill, see Reading education.
Learning to read in a language other than your native one, especially in adulthood, may be a rather different process from learning to read your native language in childhood. For this, see English as an additional language.
Proofreading is a kind of reading for the purpose of detecting typographical errors.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Reading."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
READ | English | Real-Time Electronic Access and Display | Computing |
| RE | English | Read Emitter | Computing |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: ReadSynonyms: interpret (v), learn (v), record (v), register (v), say (v), scan (v), show (v), study (v), take (v), translate (v), understand (v). (additional references) |
| Antonym: unread (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Disapprobation | Reprehend, chide, admonish; berate, betongue; bring to account, call to account, call over the coals, rake over the coals, call to order; take to task, reprove, lecture, bring to book; read a lesson, read a lecture to; rebuke, correct. |
Information | Magnetic media, paper medium, optical media; random access memory, RAM; read-only memory, ROM; write once read mostly memory, WORM. |
Intelligibility | Phrase: he that runs may read; (manifest). |
Interpretation | Find out; a the meaning; of; read; spell out, make out; decipher, unravel, disentangle; find the key of, enucleate, resolve, solve; read between the lines. |
Knowledge | Proficient with, versed with, read with, forward with, strong with, at home in; conversant with, familiar with. |
Erudite, instructed, leaned, lettered, educated; well conned, well informed, well read, well grounded, well educated; enlightened, shrewd, savant, blue, bookish, scholastic, solid, profound, deep-read, book-learned; accomplished; (skillful); omniscient; self-taught. | |
Latency Implication | Read between the lines. |
Learning | Read, spell, peruse; con over, pore over, thumb over; wade through; dip into; run the eye over, run the eye through; turn over the leaves. |
Manifestation | Phrase: cela saute aux yeux; he that runs may read; you can see it with half an eye; it needs no ghost to tell us; the meaning lies on the surface; cela va sans dire; res ipsa loquitur; "clothing the palpable and familiar"; fari quae sentiat; volto sciolto i pensieri stretti; "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows". |
Record | Compact disk; floppy disk, diskette; hard disk, Winchester disk; read-only memory, ROM; write once read mostly memory, WORM. |
Teaching | Expound; (interpret); lecture; read a lesson, give a lesson, give a lecture, give a sermon, give a discourse; incept; hold forth, preach; sermonize, moralize; point a moral. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Read |
| English words defined with "read": read between the lines ♦ To read one's self in. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "read": compact disk - read only memory, concurrent read, concurrent write, concurrent read, exclusive write ♦ exclusive read, concurrent write, exclusive read, exclusive write ♦ read only memory, Runs may Read ♦ scattered read. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "read": Obsidian. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Read" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Frisian (ablush, blushing, red). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I read your pre-prints (A Beautiful Mind; writing credit: Akiva Goldsman) Fill a man full o' lead, stick him in the ground an' then read words on him. Why, when you've killed a man, why try to read the Lord in as a partner on the job (Red River; writing credit: Borden Chase) No, I read it in the message (Say Anything; writing credit: Cameron Crowe.) My astrologist has read my horoscope, he's read DeMille's horoscope (Sunset Blvd.; writing credit: Charles Brackett) I read her diary (Lilo & Stitch; writing credit: Chris Sanders) | |
Lyrics | If I could read your mind love (If You Could Read My Mind; performing artist: Gordon Lightfoot) They read you cinderella (I Can Love You Like That; performing artist: All-4-One) And on I read (Like A Stone; performing artist: AUDIOSLAVE) Till I read between the lines (Stoney end; performing artist: Barbra Streisand) I'd read it every day. (Stay Together For The Kids; performing artist: Blink-182) | |
Clever | A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. (references; author: Mark Twain) Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. (references; author: Groucho Marx) It is hard to read a cartoon aloud. (references; author: unknown) If all else fails, read the directions. (references; author: unknown) If You Can Read This, I've Lost My Trailer. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Look and Read (1967) Have You Read This Notice (1963) Le Avventure di Mary Read (1961) The Wind Cannot Read (1958) How to Read (1938) | |
Song Titles | If You Could Read My Mind (performing artist: Gordon Lightfoot) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References | |||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Shown are 2 mammograms of normal dense breasts. A dense breast makes a mammographic image difficult to read when and if cancerous lesions are present. These images are typical of breast of younger women. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | A caucasian woman and an oriental woman read booklets in a waiting room. See artwork: OCC-04. Credit: Bill Branson (photographer). |
 | The floating cross at the mouth of the trap. Excluding the statuette of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, which is traditionally always the same, each Rais places his own images of saints. The cross serves the functional purpose of helping the fishermen read the currents. Slack water is the most desirable time to start the fishing operation. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Figure 60. Richter microscope for reading thermometers. Much less sophisticate d than the Nansen microscope, was frequently used to read with good precision the scales of reversing thermometers. This instrument was described and conceived by the firm of Richter and Wiese in the early 1900's. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Alexander Bagay (l) and Joseph Kee read a story together in the library of the Ganado Navajo Reservation elementary School in AZ. Credit: USDA. |  | Differences between European and Africanized honey bees can be seen in this DNA sequencing gel being read by microbiologist Hachiro Shimanuki and geneticist Cristina Arias. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |
 | Through ROAR - Rediscover Our American Roots -- students "read" rock art to learn the history of past peoples. Credit: UNknown. |  | Read this label. Your baby's teeth depend on it. : To Prevent Tooth Decay: Use Only Water At Bedtime. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | Me No Read English. / William Sharp. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | A Japanese bomb exploding on the flight deck of USS Enterprise (CV-6), just aft of the island, on 24 August 1942. Note: According to the original photo caption, this explosion killed the photographer, Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Robert F. Read. However, Morison's "History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II" (volume 5, page 97) states that Read was killed by the bomb that had earlier hit the after starboard 5"/38 gun gallery, which can be seen burning in the upper left. Morison further states that the bomb seen here exploded with a low order detonation, inflicting only minor damage. Credit: NAVY. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Why not read" by Vi Xs Commentary: "Reading my 'Why Not Associates' book." | "A monkey reading the newspaper" by Yvan Lagarrigue Commentary: "Very funy picture. The monkey seems to read the news. Pushkar, India." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Flip; flap; flapping; flipping; read; reading; paper; paging; library. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Benjamin Franklin | Read much, but not many books. |
George William Curtis | While we read history we make history. |
Gustave Flaubert | Read in order to live. |
H. Rogers | When a new book comes out I read an old one. |
Henry L. Stimson | Gentlemen do not read each other's mail. |
John Adams | Let us dare to read, think, speak and write. |
Lord Chesterfield | Let blockheads read what blockheads wrote. |
Mencius | Would you know politics? -- read history. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | Never read any book that is not a year old. |
St. Augustine | Take up, read! Take up, read! |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | Thus we read of the thirty tyrants at Athens, as well as one at Syracuse; and the intolerable dominion of the Decemviri at Rome was nothing better. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | And if they can open it at all, what part of it are they forbidden to read or to oey? (reference) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | If two of the workmen know each other particularly well and are old friends, if their families are inter-mingled, and if they have "faith in each other's purpose, hope in each other's future and charity towards each other's shortcomings" - to quote some good words I read here the other day - why cannot they work together at the common task as friends and partners? Why cannot they share their tools and thus increase each other's working powers? Indeed they must do so or else the temple may not be built, or, being built, it may collapse, and we shall all be proved again unteachable and have to go and try to learn again for a third time in a school of war, incomparably more rigorous than that from which we have just been released. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | It was not in his calmness that she read his comparative difference |
Sylvie and Bruno | Carroll, Lewis | My Lady nodded, and read on. |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | The boy must have read them out, as he and the Spirit crossed the threshold |
Life, the Universe and Everything | Douglas Adams | In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn't cope with, and that terrible listlessness which starts to set in at about 2:55, when you know that you've had all the baths you can usefully have that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the papers you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o'clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | She now read his heart more accurately |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Fantine withdrew and went once more to read over the letter on the stairs |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Then he read the flyleaf from the bottom to the top till he came to his own name |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Used to read it. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I had often read of some great services done to princes and states, and desired to see the persons by whom those services were performed |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Read the hearing checklist. (references) | |
Carefully read your health insurance policy. (references) | ||
Read the information that comes with the medicine. (references) | ||
Business | Retail Asia is a monthly publication that is the most widely read in the retail industry. (references) | |
People with lower education read more evening press than people with moderate or high education. (references) | ||
Please read the full copyright notice, disclaimer, and user agreement provisions at the end of this report before proceeding. (references) | ||
Children | Pakistan | Even those children who go to school are not assured of being able to read and write. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Yemen | Officials at the National Library must read and endorse the text. (references) |
Trinidad and Tobago | Widely read weekly tabloids tend to be extremely critical of the Government. (references) | |
Economic History | Egypt | Read by foreigners and the Egyptian elite. (references) |
Kazakhstan | The English-language "Almaty Herald" is widely read by the foreign community. (references) | |
Romania | Only 20 percent of the population is reported to read one or more newspapers a day. (references) | |
Human Rights | Lebanon | He is not allowed to read newspapers or listen to the radio. (references) |
Japan | The authorities read letters to and from prisoners, and the letters may be censored, or, with a court order, confiscated. (references) | |
Turkey | The Bayrampasa defendants allegedly were beaten by Jandarma when they tried to read a statement at their October hearing. (references) | |
Minorities | Turkey | In his public remarks, he read a Koranic verse alluding to those "whose killing is necessary." The Baha'i have pressed charges against the imam. (references) |
Political Economy | Pakistan | Hardly 10% of the people regularly read newspapers and over 90% of them read Urdu papers which are not noted for their objectivity, fairness or accuracy. (references) |
Western Sahara | An attorney for the youths also alleged that the judicial police investigating the affair committed several illegal acts by unlawfully entering homes of the accused and detaining them, torturing them during their detention, and forcing them under duress to sign police reports, which they were not allowed to read and which contained falsehoods. (references) | |
Political Rights | Belarus | The independent domestic observers reported being kept at one end of the room in which a count would take place, and being read the results of the election at that station, without ever being allowed to see the marked ballots. (references) |
Bhutan | The procedures for the nomination and election of National Assembly members state that in order to be eligible for nomination as a candidate, a person must be a citizen of Bhutan; be at least 25 years of age; not be married to a foreign national; not have been terminated or compulsorily retired for misconduct from government service; not have committed any act of treason against the King, the populace, and country; have no criminal record or any criminal case pending against him; have respect for the nation's laws; and be able to read and write in Dzongkha (the language, in several dialects, spoken by Bhutanese Buddhists). (references) | |
Trade | Chad | Computer hardware and software, televisions, high-tech equipment and appliances made in the United States should have instruction manuals and guarantees in French and/or Arabic since eventual users may not be able to read English. (references) |
Travel | Guatemala | Though many private and public officials speak and read English, many technicians and engineers do not. (references) |
Hong Kong | Business cards are exchanged frequently and the exchange should be fairly formal: the card should be accepted with both hands and a moment taken to read it carefully. (references) | |
Dominican Rep | Travelers are encouraged to read the Consular Information Sheet and Background Notes for the Dominican Republic located on the State Department website (United States.ww.state.gov). (references) | |
Women | Guatemala | In March MINUGUA reported that more than half of indigenous women cannot read. (references) |
Turkey | One reason for the higher rate is that men must serve in the army; if they do not know how to read, they are taught upon entry. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Switzerland | Generally the victims were unable read, write, or speak the country's languages, and were afraid to seek help from the authorities. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | INTRODUCTION, n. A social ceremony invented by the devil for the gratification of his servants and the plaguing of his enemies. The introduction attains its most malevolent development in this century, being, indeed, closely related to our political system. Every American being the equal of every other American, it follows that everybody has the right to know everybody else, which implies the right to introduce without request or permission. The Declaration of Independence should have read thus: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, and the right to make that of another miserable by thrusting upon him an incalculable quantity of acquaintances; liberty, particularly the liberty to introduce persons to one another without first ascertaining if they are not already acquainted as enemies; and the pursuit of another's happiness with a running pack of strangers." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Hey, if I wanted to read a book, I'd buy one on tape. |
Donald Rumsfeld | Oh my goodness. You should see my days. I haven't got time to read that stuff. I was there, I don't need to read it. |
Ed McMahon | Sure. He reads the letters. He read the letters. Sure. He's a company man. I mean, he really works at being Johnny Carson. |
Gene Wilder | Whatever anyone might have read in the book, that was only the start. It got much worse after that. It was very difficult. |
Lynne Cheney | When your child is four, it's difficult to read any book, you know, from beginning to end. Because what a four-year-old wants to do is talk about what's on the page. |
Madonna | Don't read the newspapers. Don't read magazines, and don't watch TV, sorry. I'll watch this interview though. |
Rosie O'Donnell | Sometimes I do, I miss it, when I read a good script or see a great movie, and I think, I would have loved to do that. |
Rush Limbaugh | Read An Anti-SUV Airhead's Column. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Abraham Lincoln | 1861-1865 | Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | In a great land of learning and scholars, young people must be taught to read and write. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | I have read the constitutions of a number of countries including the Soviet Union's. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | So if you know how to read, find someone who can't. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | You must read with your children every night. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | We're not going to spend money on curriculum that will not teach our children how to read. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Read" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 29.90% of the time. "Read" is used about 21,253 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 29.9% | 6,355 | 1,528 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 28.36% | 6,027 | 1,626 |
| Lexical Verb (past tense) | 21.72% | 4,616 | 2,121 |
| Lexical Verb (past participle) | 17.98% | 3,821 | 2,556 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.41% | 300 | 16,755 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.63% | 134 | 27,488 |
| Total | 100.00% | 21,253 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "read" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Read | Last name | 6,000 | 1,957 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| "Read" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "ruddy", "with a pinkish complexion". | |||
| The following table summarizes names related to "Read." | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Related Name |
| Read | Male | English | Reed |
| Reed | Male | English | N/A |
| Reid | Male | English | Reed |
| Read | Male | Scottish | Reed |
| Reed | Male | Scottish | N/A |
| Reid | Male | Scottish | Reed |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Country | Name |
| South Africa | Basil Read Holdings Limited |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "read": able to read ♦ automated vehicle safety read out ♦ be read ♦ deep read ♦ deeply read ♦ do you read me? ♦ he that runs may read ♦ heavy to read ♦ i can't read your writing ♦ I read you five ♦ it is worth your while to read it ♦ programmable read only memory ♦ programmable read only memory monitor ♦ read a book from cover to cover ♦ read a book through ♦ read a lot ♦ read a lot of ♦ read a lot of smth. ♦ read a paper ♦ read again ♦ read aloud ♦ read avidly ♦ read back ♦ read backwards ♦ read between the lines ♦ read for ♦ read for a degree ♦ read for the bar ♦ read head ♦ read in ♦ read into ♦ read it over! ♦ read law ♦ read loud and clear ♦ read medicine ♦ Read method ♦ Read method of childbirth ♦ read off ♦ read on ♦ read only ♦ read only memory ♦ read out ♦ read over ♦ read smb. a lecture ♦ read smb. a lesson ♦ read smb. to sleep ♦ read smb.'s hand ♦ read smb.'s palm ♦ read the electric meter ♦ read the future of smb. ♦ read the notice on the wall ♦ read the proofs ♦ read the riot act to ♦ read the wind ♦ read through ♦ read through thoroughly ♦ read to the end ♦ read up ♦ read upon ♦ read very attentively ♦ scattered read ♦ teach how to read ♦ to read ♦ To read between the lines ♦ To read one's self in ♦ well read ♦ write once read mostly memory. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "read": read-and-react, read-and-write, read-back, read-every-newspaper-in-the-shop, read-in, read-me, read-mostly, read-off, read-only, read-only, read-only file, read-only memory, read-only memory chip, read-only storage, read-only user, read-only-memory, read-out, read-outs, read-rite, read-through, read-up, read-write. | |
Ending with "read": easy-to-read, lip-read, maxi-read, over-read, proof-read, re-read, widely-read. | |
Containing "read": CD-Read-Write, see-read-hear, write-once-read-many. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
0x308 cannot memory read word | 3,305 | ps2 disc read error | 107 |
read book online | 550 | read e mail | 101 |
read | 535 | get paid to read your email | 100 |
read aol mail | 302 | read message | 100 |
learn to read | 248 | biography go read | 99 |
guitar read tab | 224 | read or die | 98 |
paid to read | 214 | read a ruler | 96 |
read mail | 204 | history puerto read rico | 96 |
read music | 196 | listing movie new read | 94 |
palm read | 173 | sing spell |