Chapter 1 of Comic Insects is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Comic Insects is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS. THE COLOURED PLATES BY KRONHEIM & CO. COMIC INSECTS. BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY. LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
Chapter 1 of Comic Insects is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading “BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “COMIC INSECTS.”
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading “THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.”
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading “LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.”
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading “COMIC INSECTS.”
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading “BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.”
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading “LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.”
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.
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 BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading THE COLOURED PLATES BY KRONHEIM & CO.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading THE COLOURED PLATES BY KRONHEIM & CO.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading COMIC INSECTS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading COMIC INSECTS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE COLOURED PLATES BY KRONHEIM & CO.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading THE COLOURED PLATES BY KRONHEIM & CO.
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
increase the number of rotations per minute
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading BY The Rev. F. A. S. REID, M.A. BY BERRY F. BERRY.
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY DALZIEL BROTHERS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
Chapter 1 of Comic Insects by F. A. S. (Francis Andrew Spilsbury), -1921 Reid holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 1 holds 65 sentences of Comic Insects, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Comic Insects by F. A. S. (Francis Andrew Spilsbury), -1921 Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 1 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 Comic Insects by F. A. S. (Francis Andrew Spilsbury), -1921 Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 65 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43834 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43834, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 13 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comic Insects section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Comic Insects 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 Comic Insects, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
