Sketches

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of Sketches is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

_A True Democracy_ THERE are two propositions, which, however at the first glance they may appear to contradict the popular opinions of the day, are nevertheless, as I believe, just and true.

And they are these:--First.

That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

Second.

That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIV Reading 1/11

Sketches

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of Sketches is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

_A True Democracy_ THERE are two propositions, which, however at the first glance they may appear to contradict the popular opinions of the day, are nevertheless, as I believe, just and true.

/ə truː dɪˈmɑːkrəsi ðer ɑːr tuː ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃənz wɪtʃ ˌhaʊˈevər æt ðə fɜːrst ɡlæns ðeɪ meɪ əˈpɪr tuː ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkt ðə ˈpɑːpjələr əˈpɪnjənz ʌv ðə deɪ ɑːr ˌnevərðəˈles æz aɪ bɪˈliːv dʒʌst ənd truː/

Line 2

And they are these:--First.

Line 3

That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

/ðæt ðer ɪz noʊ ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː ʌv ˈevər ɪˈstæblɪʃɪŋ ə mɔːr ˌdeməˈkrætɪk fɔːrm ʌv ˈɡʌvərmənt ðæn ðə ˈprezənt ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

Line 4

Second.

/ˈsekənd/

Line 5

That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

/ðæt ðə ˈriːsənt pəˈlɪtəkəl ˈtʃeɪndʒəz ʌv ðə wɪɡz ɑːr ɪn fækt ə dɪˈpɑːrtʃər frʌm ðə ˌdeməˈkrætɪk ˈspɪrət ʌv ðæt ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

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.

constitution noun US /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading “That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.”

contradict verb US /ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkt/

be in contradiction with

From this reading “_A True Democracy_ THERE are two propositions, which, however at the first glance they may appear to contradict the popular opinions of the day, are nevertheless, as I believe, just and true.”

Democracy noun US /dɪˈmɑːkrəsi/

the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives

democratic adjective US /ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/

characterized by or advocating or based upon the principles of democracy or social equality

From this reading “That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.”

establishing verb US /ɪˈstæblɪʃɪŋ/

-ing form of “establish” — set up or found

From this reading “That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.”

probability noun US /ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː/

a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

From this reading “That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.”

propositions noun US /ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃənz/

plural of “proposition” — (logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false

Whigs noun US /wɪɡz/

plural of “whig” — a member of the political party that urged social reform in 18th and 19th century England; was the opposition party to the Tories

From this reading “That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.”

All words in this reading · 53

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 _A True Democracy_ THERE are two propositions, which, however at the first glance they may appear to contradict the popular opinions of the day, are nevertheless, as I believe, just and true.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

changesnounUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒəz/

plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

constitutionnounUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

contradictverbUS /ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkt/

be in contradiction with

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

DemocracynounUS /dɪˈmɑːkrəsi/

the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives

democraticadjectiveUS /ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/

characterized by or advocating or based upon the principles of democracy or social equality

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

departurenounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/

the act of departing

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

establishingverbUS /ɪˈstæblɪʃɪŋ/

-ing form of “establish” — set up or found

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

glanceverbUS /ɡlæns/

throw a glance at; take a brief look at

governmentnounUS /ˈɡʌvərmənt/

the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

neverthelessadverbUS /ˌnevərðəˈles/

in spite of what has just been said

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

opinionsnounUS /əˈpɪnjənz/

plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

politicaladjectiveUS /pəˈlɪtəkəl/

involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

popularadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːpjələr/

regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

probabilitynounUS /ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː/

a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

propositionsnounUS /ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃənz/

plural of “proposition” — (logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false

recentadjectiveUS /ˈriːsənt/

new

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

SecondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

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

From this reading Second.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That there is no probability of ever establishing a more democratic form of government than the present English constitution.

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

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading And they are these:--First.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

TrueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

twonounUS /tuː/

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

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

WhigsnounUS /wɪɡz/

plural of “whig” — a member of the political party that urged social reform in 18th and 19th century England; was the opposition party to the Tories

From this reading That the recent political changes of the Whigs are, in fact, a departure from the democratic spirit of that constitution.

Chapter 24 of Sketches by Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli holds 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 24 of Sketches contain?

Chapter 24 holds 56 sentences of Sketches, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of Sketches by Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 24 of Sketches?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 24 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.

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Yes. All 1970 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19781 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #19781, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

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