Chapter 11 of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
1839.] DECEMBER. CHRISTMAS PIECES. A SOLILOQUIAL CARE-ALL. Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract. Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
Chapter 11 of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/68 · 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 “brat” — a very troublesome child
From this reading “Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.”
an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye
From this reading “Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.”
engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together
From this reading “Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.”
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.”
plural of “distraction” — mental turmoil
From this reading “Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.”
plural of “fraction” — a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process
From this reading “Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.”
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading “Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.”
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading “Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1839.] DECEMBER.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SOLILOQUIAL CARE-ALL.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
anew
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
(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 Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
plural of “bottle” — a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
plural of “brat” — a very troublesome child
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
lacking funds
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SOLILOQUIAL CARE-ALL.
an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading CHRISTMAS PIECES.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading 1839.] DECEMBER.
plural of “distraction” — mental turmoil
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
plural of “fraction” — a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
throughout a period of time
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading CHRISTMAS PIECES.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SOLILOQUIAL CARE-ALL.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tables turn'd, bottles broke, cups crack'd—All conspire to add to my distractions, to shew their skill in Christmas pieces, and in fractions.
in a natural state; not tamed or domesticated or cultivated
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Here come December and the brats again! what pain! rushing like untamed kittens o'er a cataract.
Chapter 11 of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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 11 holds 340 sentences of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 11 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 Comic Almanack, Volume 1 by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 552 minutes of reading across 1327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 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 Comic Almanack, Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
