Chapter 4 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
From Amateur to Professional. "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_. "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know." Nor do I know to this day. I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
Chapter 4 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading “From Amateur to Professional.”
apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
From this reading “"I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.”
plural of “entertainment” — an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
From this reading “"What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."”
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading “"What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “"I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.”
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading “I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.”
engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood
From this reading “From Amateur to Professional.”
plural of “reading” — the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “"I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.”
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 “I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.”
In this reading “I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
how long something has existed
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading From Amateur to Professional.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Nor do I know to this day.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
plural of “entertainment” — an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From Amateur to Professional.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor do I know to this day.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
on one occasion
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
participate in games or sport
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood
From this reading From Amateur to Professional.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
plural of “reading” — the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Nor do I know to this day.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From Amateur to Professional.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
precisely as stated
From this reading I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I once was a dab at Penny Readings."--_Ruddygore_.
(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 I used to play the piano very well at the age of twelve.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What first put it into your head to give entertainments?" is a question I have been asked hundreds of times, and my reply has always been, "I'm sure I do not know."
Chapter 4 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith holds 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 4 holds 304 sentences of A Society Clown: Reminiscences, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Society Clown: Reminiscences by George Grossmith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 4 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.
