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Miscellaneous Essays
Miscellaneous Essays

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Miscellaneous Essays is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Miscellaneous Essays
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.
I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.
II.
Biographical Essays.
III.
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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.

Miscellaneous Essays

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Miscellaneous Essays is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.
Line 2
I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.
Line 3
II.
Line 4
Biographical Essays.
/ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl eˈseɪz/
Line 5
III.

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 Essays.”

Confessions noun US /kənˈfeʃənz/

plural of “confession” — an admission of misdeeds or faults

From this reading “I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.”

English noun US /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading “I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.”

Essays noun US /eˈseɪz/

plural of “essay” — an analytic or interpretive literary composition

From this reading “Biographical Essays.”

writings noun US /ˈraɪtɪŋz/

the third of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures

From this reading “DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.”

All words in this reading · 16

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.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

BiographicaladjectiveUS /ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl/

of or relating to or being biography

From this reading Biographical Essays.

ConfessionsnounUS /kənˈfeʃənz/

plural of “confession” — an admission of misdeeds or faults

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

DEnounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.

EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

EssaysnounUS /eˈseɪz/

plural of “essay” — an analytic or interpretive literary composition

From this reading Biographical Essays.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

IInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading II.

IIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading III.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

Opium-Eater

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

Profundis

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

QUINCEY'S

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

From this reading DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.

Suspiria

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

From this reading I. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria De Profundis.

WRITINGSnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋz/

the third of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures

From this reading DE QUINCEY'S WRITINGS.

Chapter 1 of Miscellaneous Essays by Thomas De Quincey holds 431 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 Miscellaneous Essays contain?

Chapter 1 holds 431 sentences of Miscellaneous Essays, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Miscellaneous Essays by Thomas De Quincey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 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 Miscellaneous Essays?

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 Miscellaneous Essays

Common questions about reading Miscellaneous Essays by Thomas De Quincey on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Miscellaneous Essays?

Yes. All 2553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10708 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Miscellaneous Essays is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #10708, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Miscellaneous Essays take to read?

About 212 minutes of reading across 511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Miscellaneous Essays section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of Miscellaneous Essays 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 Miscellaneous Essays

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

Quincey's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miscellaneous Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writings
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miscellaneous Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Confessions
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miscellaneous Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
English
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miscellaneous Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.