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Essays and Tales
Essays and Tales

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Essays and Tales is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
JUV., _Sat._ xv.
140.
Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.
TATE.
In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Essays and Tales

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Essays and Tales is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
JUV., _Sat._ xv.
Line 2
140.
Line 3
Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.
Line 4
TATE.
/teɪt/
Line 5
In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

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.

brute noun US /bruːt/

a cruelly rapacious person

From this reading “Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.”

constitution noun US /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading “In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.”

ills noun US /ɪlz/

plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading “Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.”

moral adjective US /ˈmɔːrəl/

concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles

From this reading “In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.”

tate noun US /teɪt/

United States poet and critic (1899-1979)

From this reading “TATE.”

treated adjective US /ˈtriːtɪd/

subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent

From this reading “In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.”

virtue noun US /ˈvɝː.tʃuː/

Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.

From this reading “In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.”

week's noun US /wiːks/

possessive form of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading “In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.”

All words in this reading · 40

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.

140

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

From this reading 140.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

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 Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

brutenounUS /bruːt/

a cruelly rapacious person

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

constitutionnounUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

effectnounUS /ɪˈfekt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

escapenounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/

the act of escaping physically

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

good-nature

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

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

illsnounUS /ɪlz/

plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

JUV

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

From this reading JUV., _Sat._ xv.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

moraladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrəl/

concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

others

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

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

SatnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading JUV., _Sat._ xv.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

shapenounUS /ʃeɪp/

any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

TATEnounUS /teɪt/

United States poet and critic (1899-1979)

From this reading TATE.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

treatedadjectiveUS /ˈtriːtɪd/

subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

virtuenounUS /ˈvɝː.tʃuː/

Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

week'snounUS /wiːks/

possessive form of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading In one of my last week's papers, I treated of good-nature as it is the effect of constitution; I shall now speak of it as it is a moral virtue.

WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Who can all sense of others' ills escape, Is but a brute, at best, in human shape.

xvnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading JUV., _Sat._ xv.

Chapter 12 of Essays and Tales by Joseph Addison holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 12 of Essays and Tales contain?

Chapter 12 holds 120 sentences of Essays and Tales, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Essays and Tales by Joseph Addison exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 12 of Essays and Tales?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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 Essays and Tales

Common questions about reading Essays and Tales by Joseph Addison on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Essays and Tales?

Yes. All 1472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2791 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Essays and Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2791, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Essays and Tales take to read?

About 122 minutes of reading across 295 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Essays and Tales section by section

How to work through Essays and Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Essays and Tales 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 Essays and Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in Essays and Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cassell's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays and Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
National
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays and Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Library
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays and Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Joseph
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays and Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.