Chapter 3 of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house! "YOU DIDN'T SWEAR? "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion. "YOU WERE NOT IN A PASSION? "Weren't you?
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading “"Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.”
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!”
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 "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
for the reason that
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "YOU DIDN'T SWEAR?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "YOU WERE NOT IN A PASSION?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
on one occasion
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "YOU WERE NOT IN A PASSION?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Weren't you?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
at the time that
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ha, Mr. Caudle! you don't know what you do when you're in a passion.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Because ONCE in your lifetime your shirt wanted a button you must almost swear the roof off the house!
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures by Douglas William Jerrold holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures by Douglas William Jerrold exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures by Douglas William Jerrold on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3679 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6054 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6054, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures 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 Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
