Chapter 8 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting. Now you know." LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_. I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in! J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
Chapter 8 of Quips and Quiddities is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!”
English author; Charles Dodgson was an Oxford don of mathematics who is remembered for the children's stories he wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
From this reading “LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!”
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!”
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading “I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!”
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading “LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.”
flesh of a cod-like fish of the Atlantic waters of Europe
From this reading “"Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.”
a place or scene of great or strange beauty or wonder
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.
In this reading “"Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.”
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 "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
English author; Charles Dodgson was an Oxford don of mathematics who is remembered for the children's stories he wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
From this reading LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
winged monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
exceedingly bad
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Now you know."
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now you know."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
From this reading J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
a particular situation
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading J. R. PLANCHÉ, _Songs and Poems_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I'm always dull on Christmas Day, It lets a flood of ills in, For that's the time those birds of prey Bring all their horrid bills in!
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
flesh of a cod-like fish of the Atlantic waters of Europe
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Boots and shoes under the sea," the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, "are done with whiting.
a place or scene of great or strange beauty or wonder
From this reading LEWIS CARROLL, _Alice in Wonderland_.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now you know."
Chapter 8 of Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 8 holds 145 sentences of Quips and Quiddities, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 8 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 Quips and Quiddities by William Davenport [Editor] Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41713 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41713, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Quips and Quiddities section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Quips and Quiddities 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 Quips and Quiddities, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
