Chapter 12 of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Electricity. When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off? It gives off small sparks. What are these small sparks called? They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.
Chapter 12 of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
possessive form of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.”
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
From this reading “Electricity.”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “It gives off small sparks.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “It gives off small sparks.”
plural of “spark” — a momentary flash of light
From this reading “It gives off small sparks.”
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 “They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.”
In this reading “When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?”
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 When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are these small sparks called?
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading What are these small sparks called?
possessive form of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
absence of light or illumination
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
From this reading Electricity.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading It gives off small sparks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It gives off small sparks.
plural of “spark” — a momentary flash of light
From this reading It gives off small sparks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading What are these small sparks called?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are called electric sparks, or _electricity_.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
at the time that
From this reading When a cat’s back is rubbed in the dark, what does it give off?
Chapter 12 of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners by Joseph C. (Joseph Comly) Martindale holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 12 holds 167 sentences of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners by Joseph C. (Joseph Comly) Martindale exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 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.
Common questions about reading First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners by Joseph C. (Joseph Comly) Martindale on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3205 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53778 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53778, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 267 minutes of reading across 641 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners 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 First Lessons in Natural Philosophy for Beginners, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
