Gammer Gurton's Needle

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John [Dubious author] Still • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Gammer Gurton's Needle

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

_Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

"Gammer Gurton's Needle _was the first to gather the threads of farce ... interlude, and ... school play into a well-sustained comedy of rustic life_ [_with_] _the rollicking humour of the ...

Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/86

Gammer Gurton's Needle John [Dubious author] Still

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

_Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!" "Gammer Gurton's Needle _was the first to gather the threads of farce ... interlude, and ... school play into a well-sustained comedy of rustic life_ [_with_] _the rollicking humour of the ... Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ... Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque. If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

Gammer Gurton's Needle

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

_Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

Line 2

"Gammer Gurton's Needle _was the first to gather the threads of farce ... interlude, and ... school play into a well-sustained comedy of rustic life_ [_with_] _the rollicking humour of the ...

Line 3

Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

Line 4

Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

Line 5

If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

/ɪf ðə ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃənz ɑːr ˈfɑːrsəkəl ðeɪ hoʊld təˈɡeðər iːtʃ siːn tendz təˈwɔːrdz ðə ˈklaɪmæks ʌv ðə ækt ənd iːtʃ ækt təˈwɔːrdz ðə ˌdeɪnuːˈmɑːn/

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.

amenities noun US /əˈmenətiz/

things that make you comfortable and at ease

From this reading “Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...”

denouement noun US /ˌdeɪnuːˈmɑːn/

the outcome of a complex sequence of events

From this reading “If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.”

farcical adjective US /ˈfɑːrsəkəl/

broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce

From this reading “If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.”

incongruity noun US /ˌɪŋkɔːŋˈruːɪti/

the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate

From this reading “Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.”

interlude noun US /ˈɪntərluːd/

an intervening period or episode

From this reading “"Gammer Gurton's Needle _was the first to gather the threads of farce ... interlude, and ... school play into a well-sustained comedy of rustic life_ [_with_] _the rollicking humour of the ...”

pith noun US /pɪθ/

soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants

From this reading “_Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"”

pithy adjective US /ˈpɪθi/

concise and full of meaning

From this reading “Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...”

saline noun US /səˈliːn/

an isotonic solution of sodium chloride and distilled water

From this reading “Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...”

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.

tends towards verb + particle counted as “tend towards”

In this reading “If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.”

hold together verb + particle

In this reading “If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.”

act towards verb + particle

In this reading “If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.”

delight in verb + particle

In this reading “Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading "Gammer Gurton's Needle _was the first to gather the threads of farce ... interlude, and ... school play into a well-sustained comedy of rustic life_ [_with_] _the rollicking humour of the ...

actverbUS /ækt/

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

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

amenitiesnounUS /əˈmenətiz/

things that make you comfortable and at ease

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

animalnounUS /ˈænəməl/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

Bedlem

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

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

Chaucerian

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

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

climaxnounUS /ˈklaɪmæks/

the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

comedynounUS /ˈkɑːmədi/

light and humorous drama with a happy ending

delightverbUS /dɪˈlaɪt/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

denouementnounUS /ˌdeɪnuːˈmɑːn/

the outcome of a complex sequence of events

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

EditedadjectiveUS /ˈedətəd/

improved or corrected by critical editing

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

farcenounUS /fɑːrs/

a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations

farcicaladjectiveUS /ˈfɑːrsəkəl/

broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

feminineadjectiveUS /ˈfemənən/

associated with women and not with men

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

fondnessnounUS /ˈfɑːndnəs/

a predisposition to like something

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

Gammer

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

gatherverbUS /ˈɡæðər/

assemble or get together

grotesqueadjectiveUS /ɡroʊˈtesk/

distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

Gurton's

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

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

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

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

humournounUS /ˈhjuːmər/

a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

incongruitynounUS /ˌɪŋkɔːŋˈruːɪti/

the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

interchangenounUS /ˌɪntərˈtʃeɪndʒ/

a junction of highways on different levels that permits traffic to move from one to another without crossing traffic streams

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

interludenounUS /ˈɪntərluːd/

an intervening period or episode

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

IntroductionnounUS /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

laughternounUS /ˈlæftər/

the sound of laughing

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

mediaevaladjective

relating to or belonging to the Middle Ages

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

NeedlenounUS /ˈniːdəl/

the leaf of a conifer

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

Note-Book

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

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

physicaladjectiveUS /ˈfɪzɪkəl/

involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

PITHnounUS /pɪθ/

soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

pithyadjectiveUS /ˈpɪθi/

concise and full of meaning

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

PLAYverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

POINTnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

rollickingadjectiveUS /ˈrɑːlɪkɪŋ/

given to merry frolicking

rusticadjectiveUS /ˈrʌstɪk/

characteristic of rural life

salinenounUS /səˈliːn/

an isotonic solution of sodium chloride and distilled water

From this reading Bedlem; the pithy and saline interchange of feminine amenities; the ...

scenenounUS /siːn/

the place where some action occurs

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

schoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

sensualadjectiveUS /ˈsenʃəwəl/

marked by the appetites and passions of the body

From this reading Chaucerian, laughter,--not sensual but animal; the delight in physical incongruity; the mediaeval fondness for the grotesque.

SIRnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

situationsnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “situation” — the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

tendsverbUS /tendz/

third-person singular of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

threadsnounUS /θredz/

informal terms for clothing

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading If the situations are farcical, they ... hold together; each scene tends towards the climax of the act, and each act towards the denouement.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

well-sustained

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

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

Word-List

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

From this reading _Edited, with an Introduction, Note-Book, and Word-List._ "THE PITH AND POINT OF THE PLAY, SIR!"

Chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle by John [Dubious author] Still holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 Gammer Gurton's Needle contain?

Chapter 1 holds 432 sentences of Gammer Gurton's Needle, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle by John [Dubious author] Still exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 Gammer Gurton's Needle?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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.

Questions about reading Gammer Gurton's Needle

Common questions about reading Gammer Gurton's Needle by John [Dubious author] Still on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Gammer Gurton's Needle?

Yes. All 1349 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37503 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Gammer Gurton's Needle is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37503, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Gammer Gurton's Needle take to read?

About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Gammer Gurton's Needle section by section

How to work through Gammer Gurton's Needle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 3 chapters of Gammer Gurton's Needle to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Gammer Gurton's Needle

Words and structures a reader meets early in Gammer Gurton's Needle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Edited: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gammer Gurton's Needle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Introduction: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gammer Gurton's Needle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Note-book: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gammer Gurton's Needle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Word-list: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gammer Gurton's Needle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

What does chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle contain?

How do I study chapter 1 of Gammer Gurton's Needle?

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Gammer Gurton's Needle

How to read Gammer Gurton's Needle section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in Gammer Gurton's Needle