Chapter 1 of The Club of Queer Trades is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Club of Queer Trades is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was no doubt that he was shaking. At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse. “You're laughing,” he cried. “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours. What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
Chapter 1 of The Club of Queer Trades is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 58/95 · 5 reading units · Lines 286–290
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.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?”
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading ““I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.”
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading “What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.”
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.”
inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
From this reading ““I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.”
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 At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
later than; following
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
lacking funds
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “You're laughing,” he cried.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
immediately past
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
the sound of laughing
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “You're laughing,” he cried.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading At last, after a few moments' scrutiny, Rupert broke into a curse.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no doubt that he was shaking.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What the deuce is the amusement, Basil?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You're laughing,” he cried.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “I know that confounded, silent, shaky laugh of yours.
Chapter 1 of The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 1 holds 476 sentences of The Club of Queer Trades, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 1 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 The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2767 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1696 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1696, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 554 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Club of Queer Trades section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Club of Queer Trades 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 The Club of Queer Trades, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
