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Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1
Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Chapter CXXXVIII · Chapter 138

Chapter 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/6 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.
1804.
My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.
If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.
The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.
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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.

Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Chapter CXXXVIII · Chapter 138

Chapter 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.
Line 2
1804.
Line 3
My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.
Line 4
If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.
/ɪf tuː θɪŋk ənd ˈiːvɪn tuː kəmˈpoʊz hæd bɪn ðə seɪm æz tuː raɪt wɪð miː aɪ ʃʊd hæv ˈrɪtən æz mʌtʃ tuː mʌtʃ æz aɪ hæv ˈrɪtən tuː ˈlɪtəl/
Line 5
The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.
/ðə hoʊl truːθ ʌv ðə ˈmætər ɪz ðæt aɪ hæv bɪn ˈveri ˈveri ɪl/

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.

act verb US /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading “My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.”

compose verb US /kəmˈpoʊz/

form the substance of

From this reading “If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.”

create verb US /kriˈeɪt/

make or cause to be or to become

From this reading “My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.”

ill adjective US /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading “The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.”

Jan noun US /dʒæn/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading “16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.”

Westminster noun US /ˌwestˈmɪnstər/

a borough of Greater London on the Thames; contains Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey

From this reading “16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.”

write verb US /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading “If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.”

written adjective US /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading “If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

16

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

From this reading 16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.

1804

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

From this reading 1804.

Abingdon

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

From this reading 16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.

actverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

composeverbUS /kəmˈpoʊz/

form the substance of

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

createverbUS /kriˈeɪt/

make or cause to be or to become

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

divines

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

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

JannounUS /dʒæn/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading 16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

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

From this reading 16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

WestminsternounUS /ˌwestˈmɪnstər/

a borough of Greater London on the Thames; contains Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey

From this reading 16, Abingdon Street, Westminster, Jan.

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading The whole truth of the matter is, that I have been very, very ill.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading My dear friend, Some divines hold, that with God to think, and to create, are one and the same act.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading If to think, and even to compose had been the same as to write with me, I should have written as much too much as I have written too little.

Chapter 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 138 holds 34 sentences of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 138 of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1?

Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 7 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 138 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 138 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 Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Common questions about reading Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1 is used?

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

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Biographia Epistolaris, Volume 1, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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