Chapter 3 of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H is here in full — 1707 sentences across 342 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H is here in full — 1707 sentences across 342 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BACKHOUSE, GEORGE CANNING. Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec. 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug. 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov. 1856.
Chapter 3 of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H is here in full — 1707 sentences across 342 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/341 · 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.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.”
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.”
inflected form of “can” — preserve in a can or tin
From this reading “BACKHOUSE, GEORGE CANNING.”
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading “Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.”
killed unlawfully
From this reading “1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.”
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading “1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.”
a regular payment to a person that is intended to allow them to subsist without working
From this reading “1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BACKHOUSE, GEORGE CANNING.
inflected form of “can” — preserve in a can or tin
From this reading BACKHOUSE, GEORGE CANNING.
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading BACKHOUSE, GEORGE CANNING.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
killed unlawfully
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
a regular payment to a person that is intended to allow them to subsist without working
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Clerk in the Foreign Office 5 April 1838; commissary judge at Havannah 16 Dec.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 1852 to death; murdered at Havannah 30 Aug.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading 1856 aged 37; a civil list pension of £100 granted his widow 15 Nov.
Chapter 3 of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H by Frederic Boase holds 1707 sentences, grouped into 342 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 3 holds 1707 sentences of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H, unabridged, divided into 342 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H by Frederic Boase exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1707 sentences, grouped into 342 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 342 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 342 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 3 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 Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H by Frederic Boase on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 65023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55059 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55059, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 13005 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H 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 Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (of 4), A-H, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
