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The Book of Snobs
The Book of Snobs

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Book of Snobs is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Book of Snobs
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.
How can he let off his own profession?
Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?
My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?
Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?
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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.

The Book of Snobs

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Book of Snobs 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
What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.
/wʌt wɪl hiː seɪ əˈbaʊt ˈlɪtəreri snɑːbz hæz bɪn ə ˈkwestʃən aɪ meɪk noʊ daʊt ˈɔːfən æskt baɪ ðə ˈpʌblɪk/
Line 2
How can he let off his own profession?
Line 3
Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?
Line 4
My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?
Line 5
Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

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.

Brutus noun US /ˈbruːtəs/

statesman of ancient Rome who (with Cassius) led a conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar (85-42 BC)

From this reading “Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?”

chop verb US /tʃɑːp/

cut into pieces

From this reading “Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?”

clergy noun US /ˈklɜːrdʒi/

in Christianity, clergymen collectively (as distinguished from the laity)

From this reading “Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?”

flog verb US /flɑːɡ/

beat severely with a whip or rod

From this reading “My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?”

indiscriminately adverb US /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmənətliː/

in a random manner

From this reading “Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?”

Snobs noun US /snɑːbz/

plural of “snob” — a person regarded as arrogant and annoying

From this reading “What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.”

truculent adjective US /ˈtrʌkjələnt/

defiantly aggressive

From this reading “Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?”

unsparing adjective US /ənˈsperɪŋ/

very generous

From this reading “Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?”

All words in this reading · 64

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 What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

armynounUS /ˈɑːrmi/

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

attacksnounUS /əˈtæks/

plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

BrutusnounUS /ˈbruːtəs/

statesman of ancient Rome who (with Cassius) led a conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar (85-42 BC)

From this reading Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

chopverbUS /tʃɑːp/

cut into pieces

From this reading Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

clergynounUS /ˈklɜːrdʒi/

in Christianity, clergymen collectively (as distinguished from the laity)

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

comesnounUS /kʌmz/

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

Didn't

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

From this reading Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

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

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

EGORGER

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

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

excellentadjectiveUS /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

fleshnounUS /fleʃ/

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

flogverbUS /flɑːɡ/

beat severely with a whip or rod

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

hesitateverbUS /ˈhezəteɪt/

pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

How

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

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

indiscriminatelyadverbUS /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmənətliː/

in a random manner

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

ladiesnounUS /ˈleɪdiz/

plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

LiteraryadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəreri/

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

monsternounUS /ˈmɑːnstər/

an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

nobilitynounUS /noʊˈbɪləti/

a privileged class holding hereditary titles

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

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

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

offspring's

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

From this reading Didn't Brutus chop his offspring's head off?

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

professionnounUS /prəˈfeʃən/

the body of people in a learned occupation

From this reading How can he let off his own profession?

publicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

querist

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

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

questionverbUS /ˈkwestʃən/

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

resolutelyadverbUS /ˈresəluːtli/

showing firm determination or purpose

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

schoolmasternounUS /ˈskuːlmæstər/

presiding officer of a school

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

SnobsnounUS /snɑːbz/

plural of “snob” — a person regarded as arrogant and annoying

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

truculentadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌkjələnt/

defiantly aggressive

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

unsparingadjectiveUS /ənˈsperɪŋ/

very generous

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Will that truculent and unsparing monster who attacks the nobility, the clergy, the army, and the ladies, indiscriminately, hesitate when the turn comes to EGORGER his own flesh and blood?

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading My dear and excellent querist, whom does the schoolmaster flog so resolutely as his own son?

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading What will he say about Literary Snobs? has been a question, I make no doubt, often asked by the public.

Chapter 15 of The Book of Snobs by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 56 sentences, grouped into 12 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 of The Book of Snobs contain?

Chapter 15 holds 56 sentences of The Book of Snobs, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Book of Snobs by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 15 of The Book of Snobs?

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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 The Book of Snobs

Common questions about reading The Book of Snobs by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Book of Snobs?

Yes. All 2497 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2686 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Book of Snobs is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2686, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Book of Snobs take to read?

About 208 minutes of reading across 500 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Book of Snobs section by section

How to work through The Book of Snobs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Book of Snobs 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 The Book of Snobs

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Book of Snobs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Relative
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Book of Snobs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Positive
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Book of Snobs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Snobs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Book of Snobs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Persons
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Book of Snobs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.