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Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.
I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.
[14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.
He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.
His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.
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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.

Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.
Line 2
I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.
/aɪ wɪʃ ðeɪ wʊd ˌrekəˈlekt ˈeniθɪŋ ɪn wɪtʃ aɪ kʊd biː ˈjuːsfəl tuː ðem ɪn taʊn/
Line 3
[14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.
Line 4
He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.
Line 5
His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

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.

appointed adjective US /əˈpɔɪntɪd/

subject to appointment

From this reading “[14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.”

attended adjective US /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading “He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.”

compliments noun US /ˈkɑːmpləments/

(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare

From this reading “My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.”

fame noun US /feɪm/

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

From this reading “His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.”

funds noun US /fʌndz/

assets in the form of money

From this reading “His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.”

Goldsmith noun US /ˈɡoʊldsmɪθ/

an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold

From this reading “He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.”

physician noun US /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “[14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.”

recollect verb US /ˌrekəˈlekt/

recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading “I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

wait on verb + particle

work for or be a servant to

In this reading “My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

14

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

1736

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

1782

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

1806

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

60,000

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

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

9000

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

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

appointedadjectiveUS /əˈpɔɪntɪd/

subject to appointment

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

attendedadjectiveUS /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.

Bayley

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

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

complimentsnounUS /ˈkɑːmpləments/

(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

death-bed

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

From this reading He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

Dr

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

famenounUS /feɪm/

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

fundsnounUS /fʌndz/

assets in the form of money

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

GoldsmithnounUS /ˈɡoʊldsmɪθ/

an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold

From this reading He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He attended Goldsmith on his death-bed.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

physiciannounUS /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

progressnounUS /ˈprɑːɡres/

gradual improvement or growth or development

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

QueennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/

done or occurring in a brief period of time

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

recollectverbUS /ˌrekəˈlekt/

recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

sincerest

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

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

Turton

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

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

usefuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːsfəl/

being of use or service

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

waitverbUS /weɪt/

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading My sincerest compliments wait on Mr. and Mrs. Bayley.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading [14] Dr. John Turton (1736-1806) was in 1782 appointed physician to both the King and Queen.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

widownounUS /ˈwɪdoʊ/

a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I wish they would recollect anything in which I could be useful to them in town.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading His progress to fame and fortune was very rapid, and when he died he left his widow £9000 a year in land, and £60,000 in the funds.

Chapter 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) by Edward Gibbon holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 2 holds 419 sentences of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) by Edward Gibbon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 2 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)

Common questions about reading Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) by Edward Gibbon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)?

Yes. All 7879 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1576 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) section by section

How to work through Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) 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 Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Introduction
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sheffield
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edited
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rowland
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.