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

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Gibbon • Curated US English Learning Edition

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

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

I heard from him yesterday.

His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

Narrator

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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.

Chapter XII Reading 1/78

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

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

You make me very uneasy by a part of your last; pray send me a speedy, and if you can a favorable account of Dr. H[eberden]'s visit.--She has been so well a great while.--Clarke is now in the Country,--Aldershot. I heard from him yesterday. His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled. I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham. People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

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

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

I heard from him yesterday.

/aɪ hɜːrd frʌm hɪm ˈjestərdeɪ/

Line 3

His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

/hɪz helθ ðer hæz bɪn ˈveriəs ənd ɪz nɑːt aɪ fɪr kwaɪt ˈsetəld/

Line 4

I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

Line 5

People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

/ˈpiːpəl meɪ tɔːk ʌv ðə taʊnz ˈbiːɪŋ ˈempti ɪn sepˈtembər maɪ ˈoʊnli kəmˈpleɪnt ɪz ðə ˈθɪknəs ʌv maɪ enˈɡeɪdʒmənts/

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.

chaise noun US /ʃeɪz/

a long chair; for reclining

From this reading “I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.”

complaint noun US /kəmˈpleɪnt/

an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading “People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.”

engagements noun US /enˈɡeɪdʒmənts/

plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading “People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.”

favorable adjective US /ˈfeɪvərəbəl/

encouraging or approving or pleasing

From this reading “You make me very uneasy by a part of your last; pray send me a speedy, and if you can a favorable account of Dr. H[eberden]'s visit.--She has been so well a great while.--Clarke is now in the Country,--Aldershot.”

September noun US /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading “People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.”

speedy adjective US /ˈspiːdiː/

characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed

thickness noun US /ˈθɪknəs/

the dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width

From this reading “People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.”

town's noun US /taʊnz/

possessive form of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading “People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.”

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.

break off verb + particle

interrupt before its natural or planned end

In this reading “I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.”

get into verb + particle

get involved in or with

In this reading “I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.”

in the Country preposition + article + noun counted as “in … country”

In this reading “You make me very uneasy by a part of your last; pray send me a speedy, and if you can a favorable account of Dr. H[eberden]'s visit.--She has been so well a great while.--Clarke is now in the Country,--Aldershot.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 You make me very uneasy by a part of your last; pray send me a speedy, and if you can a favorable account of Dr. H[eberden]'s visit.--She has been so well a great while.--Clarke is now in the Country,--Aldershot.

accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

Aldershot

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

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

breakverbUS /breɪk/

terminate

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

chaisenounUS /ʃeɪz/

a long chair; for reclining

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

Clarke

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

complaintnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnt/

an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

CountrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

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

eberden

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

emptyverbUS /ˈempti/

make void or empty of contents

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

engagementsnounUS /enˈɡeɪdʒmənts/

plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

favorableadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪvərəbəl/

encouraging or approving or pleasing

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I heard from him yesterday.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

HnounUS /eɪtʃ/

a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

healthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading I heard from him yesterday.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I heard from him yesterday.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I heard from him yesterday.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

PeoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

prayverbUS /preɪ/

address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

snounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

settledadjectiveUS /ˈsetəld/

established or decided beyond dispute or doubt

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

speedyadjectiveUS /ˈspiːdiː/

characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

thicknessnounUS /ˈθɪknəs/

the dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

town'snounUS /taʊnz/

possessive form of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading People may talk of the town's being empty in September, my only complaint is the thickness of my engagements.

Twickenham

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

From this reading I break off to get into my chaise for Twickenham.

uneasyadjectiveUS /əˈniːzi/

lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

variousadjectiveUS /ˈveriəs/

of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

From this reading His health there has been various, and is not I fear quite settled.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading I heard from him yesterday.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

Chapter 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) by Edward Gibbon holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 12 holds 393 sentences of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 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 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 12 of Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)?

Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 79 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.

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

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Vocabulary met early in Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)

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Chapter XII

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