Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers
Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.
By Thomas De Quincey.
Contents Of Volume I.
The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.
System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.
/ˈnærətɪv ənd ˌmɪsəˈleɪniəs ˈpeɪpərz/
Line 2
By Thomas De Quincey.
Line 3
Contents Of Volume I.
/ˈkɑːntents ʌv ˈvɑːljuːm aɪ/
Line 4
The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.
Line 5
System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

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.

Coleridge noun US /ˈkoʊlrɪdʒ/

English romantic poet (1772-1834)

From this reading “System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.”

Kant noun US /kænt/

influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804)

From this reading “System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.”

miscellaneous adjective US /ˌmɪsəˈleɪniəs/

consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

From this reading “NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.”

Nun noun US /nʌn/

a woman religious

From this reading “The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.”

Superstition noun US /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃən/

an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear

From this reading “System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.”

Tartar noun US /ˈtɑːrtər/

a salt used especially in baking powder

From this reading “The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.”

Telescopes noun US /ˈteləskoʊps/

plural of “telescope” — a magnifier of images of distant objects

From this reading “System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.”

Temperance noun US /ˈtempərəns/

the trait of avoiding excesses

From this reading “System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.”

All words in this reading · 41

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 The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By Thomas De Quincey.

ColeridgenounUS /ˈkoʊlrɪdʒ/

English romantic poet (1772-1834)

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

ContentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading Contents Of Volume I.

DaysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

DenounUS /diː/

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

From this reading By Thomas De Quincey.

FlightnounUS /flaɪt/

a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

HeavensnounUS /ˈhevənz/

the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

HouseholdnounUS /ˈhaʊshoʊld/

a social unit living together

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Contents Of Volume I.

IInoun

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

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

Immanuel

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

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

KantnounUS /kænt/

influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804)

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

LastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

MISCELLANEOUSadjectiveUS /ˌmɪsəˈleɪniəs/

consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

From this reading NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.

ModernadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdərn/

belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

MovementnounUS /ˈmuːvmənt/

a change of position that does not entail a change of location

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

NARRATIVEnounUS /ˈnærətɪv/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.

NunnounUS /nʌn/

a woman religious

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Contents Of Volume I.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

Opium-Eating

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

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

PAPERSnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading NARRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.

Quincey

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

From this reading By Thomas De Quincey.

RevealedverbUS /rɪˈviːld/

past form of “reveal” — make visible

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

Rosse's

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

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

SuperstitionnounUS /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃən/

an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

SystemnounUS /ˈsɪstəm/

instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

TartarnounUS /ˈtɑːrtər/

a salt used especially in baking powder

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

TelescopesnounUS /ˈteləskoʊps/

plural of “telescope” — a magnifier of images of distant objects

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

TemperancenounUS /ˈtempərəns/

the trait of avoiding excesses

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

ThomasnounUS /ˈtɑːməs/

United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)

From this reading By Thomas De Quincey.

TribenounUS /traɪb/

a social division of (usually preliterate) people

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

VolumenounUS /ˈvɑːljuːm/

the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading Contents Of Volume I.

WarnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading System Of The Heavens As Revealed By Lord Rosse's Telescopes Modern Superstition Coleridge And Opium-Eating Temperance Movement On War The Last Days Of Immanuel Kant VOLUME I.

WrecknounUS /rek/

something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation

From this reading The Household Wreck The Spanish Nun Flight Of A Tartar Tribe Contents Of Volume II.

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers by Thomas De Quincey holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers contain?

Chapter 1 holds 424 sentences of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers by Thomas De Quincey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers

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

Is this the complete text of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers?

Yes. All 5087 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers take to read?

About 423 minutes of reading across 1018 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers 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 Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers

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

Narrative
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Miscellaneous
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Papers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thomas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.