Chapter 4 of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat. Napoleon accepts it. Sacrifices are offered. The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald. The combatants advance.
Chapter 4 of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true
From this reading “Napoleon accepts it.”
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading “The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.”
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading “The combatants advance.”
third-person singular of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.”
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading “The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.”
French general who became emperor of the French (1769-1821)
From this reading “The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.”
French marshal in the Napoleonic Wars (1769-1815)
From this reading “The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.”
plural of “sacrifice” — the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading “Sacrifices are offered.”
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.
third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true
From this reading Napoleon accepts it.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading The combatants advance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sacrifices are offered.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading The combatants advance.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
third-person singular of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Napoleon accepts it.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
French general who became emperor of the French (1769-1821)
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
French marshal in the Napoleonic Wars (1769-1815)
From this reading The ground is measured by Ney and Macdonald.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Sacrifices are offered.
plural of “sacrifice” — the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading Sacrifices are offered.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The king comes forward and defies Napoleon to single combat.
Chapter 4 of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay holds 12 sentences, grouped into 3 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.
Chapter 4 holds 12 sentences of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 12 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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 4 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 Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2167, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 106 minutes of reading across 256 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1 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 Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
