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A Society Clown: Reminiscences
A Society Clown: Reminiscences

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George Grossmith • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Society Clown: Reminiscences
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At Bow Street Police Court.
"Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.
For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."
When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.
Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Society Clown: Reminiscences

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
At Bow Street Police Court.
/æt baʊ striːt pəˈliːs kɔːrt/
Line 2
"Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.
Line 3
For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."
/fɔːr ə ˈpɪriəd ʌv ˈtwenti jɪrz aɪ hæd ðə dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt ˈɑːnər ʌv ˈbiːɪŋ ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli wel noʊn tuː ðə pəˈliːs/
Line 4
When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.
Line 5
Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

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.

Collegiate adjective US /kəˈliːdʒɪt/

of or resembling or typical of a college or college students

From this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
decidedly adverb US /ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli/

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading “For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Kelly noun US /ˈkeli/

United States circus clown (1898-1979)

From this reading “Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lecturing noun US /ˈlektʃərɪŋ/

teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class)

From this reading “Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Liverpool noun US /ˈlɪvərpuːl/

a large city in northwestern England; its port is the country's major outlet for industrial exports

From this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reporting noun US /riˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

the news as presented by reporters for newspapers or radio or television

From this reading “Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seventeen adjective US /ˈsevənˈtiːn/

being one more than sixteen

From this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tours noun US /tʊrz/

an industrial city in western France on the Loire River

From this reading “Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

twenty years noun + noun

In this reading “For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."”

18,789 times in 426,211 chapters
eighteen years adjective + noun

In this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

2,754 times in 426,211 chapters
Police Court noun + noun

a court that has power to prosecute for minor offenses and to bind over for trial in a superior court anyone accused of serious offenses

In this reading “At Bow Street Police Court.”

923 times in 426,211 chapters
received instructions adjective + noun

In this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

257 times in 426,211 chapters
well known adverb + adjective

In this reading “For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."”

15,504 times in 426,211 chapters
just starting adverb + adjective

In this reading “When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.”

831 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
absencenounUS /ˈæbsəns/

the state of being absent

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At Bow Street Police Court.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BownounUS /baʊ/

a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

From this reading At Bow Street Police Court.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CollegiateadjectiveUS /kəˈliːdʒɪt/

of or resembling or typical of a college or college students

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading At Bow Street Police Court.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Courtenay

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

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Pending verification
decidedlyadverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli/

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
distinguishedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
eighteenadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːn/

being one more than seventeen

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

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

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

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

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
honournounUS /ˈɑːnər/

the state of being honored

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
instructionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌkʃənz/

a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Iolanthe

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

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

Pending verification
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
KellynounUS /ˈkeli/

United States circus clown (1898-1979)

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lecturingnounUS /ˈlektʃərɪŋ/

teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class)

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LiverpoolnounUS /ˈlɪvərpuːl/

a large city in northwestern England; its port is the country's major outlet for industrial exports

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NorthnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
periodnounUS /ˈpɪriəd/

an amount of time

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PolicenounUS /pəˈliːs/

the force of policemen and officers

From this reading At Bow Street Police Court.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reportingnounUS /riˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

the news as presented by reporters for newspapers or radio or television

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SchoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sentencenounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seventeenadjectiveUS /ˈsevənˈtiːn/

being one more than sixteen

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
startingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtɪŋ/

(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading At Bow Street Police Court.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TakeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toursnounUS /tʊrz/

an industrial city in western France on the Loire River

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading Mr. John Kelly Courtenay used to do all the reporting at Bow Street Police Court during my father's absence on his lecturing tours.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Take down our sentence as we speak it."--_Iolanthe_.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading When I between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and still at the North London Collegiate School, I received instructions from my father, who was just starting for Liverpool, that as Mr. Courtenay was ill I must go and "do" Bow Street.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading For a period of twenty years I had the distinguished honour of being decidedly "well known to the police."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences contain?

Chapter 3 holds 202 sentences of A Society Clown: Reminiscences, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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.

Questions about reading A Society Clown: Reminiscences

Common questions about reading A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Society Clown: Reminiscences?

Yes. All 2619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53225 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53225, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Society Clown: Reminiscences take to read?

About 218 minutes of reading across 524 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Society Clown: Reminiscences section by section

How to work through A Society Clown: Reminiscences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Society Clown: Reminiscences to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Society Clown: Reminiscences

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Society Clown: Reminiscences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

You've
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Society Clown: Reminiscences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Opinion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Society Clown: Reminiscences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Myself
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Society Clown: Reminiscences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Society Clown: Reminiscences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.