Chapter 2 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Early Recollections. "A many years ago, when I was young and charming." _H.M.S. Pinafore_. As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington. And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
Chapter 2 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
pleasing or delighting
From this reading “"A many years ago, when I was young and charming."”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.”
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
plural of “recollection” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading “Early Recollections.”
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
British general and statesman; he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo; subsequently served as Prime Minister (1769-1852)
From this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
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 “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
In this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
In this reading “"A many years ago, when I was young and charming."”
In this reading “As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
in the past
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
brought into existence
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
pleasing or delighting
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early Recollections.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading _H.M.S. Pinafore_.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading _H.M.S. Pinafore_.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a sleeveless dress resembling an apron; worn over other clothing
From this reading _H.M.S. Pinafore_.
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
plural of “recollection” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Early Recollections.
To recall to mind.
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading _H.M.S. Pinafore_.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
British general and statesman; he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo; subsequently served as Prime Minister (1769-1852)
From this reading As I was born in December, 1847, I was not five years old when I was taken to a house at the corner of Wellington Street, Strand, to see the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington.
at the time that
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
a late time of life
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
the day immediately before today
From this reading And I remember it as distinctly as if it had been yesterday.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "A many years ago, when I was young and charming."
Chapter 2 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 2 holds 198 sentences of A Society Clown: Reminiscences, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 2 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 A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53225 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53225, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 218 minutes of reading across 524 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Society Clown: Reminiscences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Society Clown: Reminiscences 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 A Society Clown: Reminiscences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
