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Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain
Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Andrews • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain
Context Illustration Reading 1/72 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.
Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.
Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.
Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.
Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.
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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.

Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.
/ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl ˌdʒiːniɑːˈlɔːdʒɪkəl ənd hɪˈstɔːrɪkəl noʊts/
Line 2
Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.
Line 3
Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.
/ˈsekrəteri ʌv ðə hʌl ˈlɪtəreri klʌb/
Line 4
Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.
/ˈloʊkəl ˈsekrəteri ʌv ðə ˈnæʃənəl səˈsaɪəti fɔːr prəˈzɜːrvɪŋ ðə məˈmɔːriəlz ʌv ðə ded/
Line 5
Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

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.

Biographical adjective US /ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl/

of or relating to or being biography

From this reading “Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Genealogical adjective US /ˌdʒiːniɑːˈlɔːdʒɪkəl/

of or relating to genealogy

From this reading “Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Memorials noun US /məˈmɔːriəlz/

plural of “memorial” — a recognition of meritorious service

From this reading “Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Oddities noun US /ˈɑːdətiz/

plural of “oddity” — eccentricity that is not easily explained

From this reading “Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Olden adjective US /ˈoʊldən/

relating to time long past

From this reading “Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Preserving verb US /prəˈzɜːrvɪŋ/

-ing form of “preserve” — keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last

From this reading “Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Punishments noun US /ˈpʌnɪʃmənts/

plural of “punishment” — the act of punishing

From this reading “Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Yorkshire noun US /ˈjɔːrkʃər/

a former large county in northern England; in 1974 it was divided into three smaller counties

From this reading “Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.”

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.

Natural History adjective + noun

the scientific study of plants or animals (more observational than experimental) usually published in popular magazines rather than in academic journals

In this reading “Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.”

3,212 times in 426,211 chapters
Olden Time adjective + noun

In this reading “Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.”

1,114 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 36

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Archæological

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

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

Pending verification
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BiographicaladjectiveUS /ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl/

of or relating to or being biography

From this reading Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BooknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ClubnounUS /klʌb/

a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together

From this reading Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DeadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Derbyshire

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

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

Pending verification
Dunmow

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

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

Pending verification
etc

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

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

Pending verification
Flitchnoun

fish steak usually cut from a halibut

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GenealogicaladjectiveUS /ˌdʒiːniɑːˈlɔːdʒɪkəl/

of or relating to genealogy

From this reading Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HistoricadjectiveUS /hɪˈstɔːrɪk/

belonging to the past; of what is important or famous in the past

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HistoricaladjectiveUS /hɪˈstɔːrɪkəl/

of or relating to the study of history

From this reading Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HistorynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HullnounUS /hʌl/

dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut

From this reading Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LiteraryadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəreri/

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LocaladjectiveUS /ˈloʊkəl/

relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MembernounUS /ˈmembər/

one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MemorialsnounUS /məˈmɔːriəlz/

plural of “memorial” — a recognition of meritorious service

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NationaladjectiveUS /ˈnæʃənəl/

of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NaturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NotesnounUS /noʊts/

plural of “note” — a brief written record

From this reading Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OdditiesnounUS /ˈɑːdətiz/

plural of “oddity” — eccentricity that is not easily explained

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OldenadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldən/

relating to time long past

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PreservingverbUS /prəˈzɜːrvɪŋ/

-ing form of “preserve” — keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last

From this reading Local Secretary of the National Society for Preserving the Memorials of the Dead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PunishmentsnounUS /ˈpʌnɪʃmənts/

plural of “punishment” — the act of punishing

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RomancenounUS /roʊˈmæns/

a relationship between two lovers

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SecretarynounUS /ˈsekrəteri/

a person who is head of an administrative department of government

From this reading Secretary of the Hull Literary Club.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SocietynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Member of the Derbyshire Archæological and Natural History Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TimenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YorkshirenounUS /ˈjɔːrkʃər/

a former large county in northern England; in 1974 it was divided into three smaller counties

From this reading Author of "Historic Romance," "Historic Yorkshire," "Punishments in the Olden Time," "Book of Oddities," "History of the Dunmow Flitch," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain by William Andrews holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain contain?

Chapter 1 holds 361 sentences of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain by William Andrews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 1 of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain?

Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 73 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Yes. All 2286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #43626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain

Words and structures a reader meets early in Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Biographical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Genealogical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Historical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Curious Epitaphs, Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.