Chapter 7 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SECTION I. OF SUBSTANTIVES IN GENERAL. Substantives are either proper or common. Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham. These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
Chapter 7 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading “Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.”
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading “Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.”
past form of “convert” — change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
From this reading “These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.”
plural of “individual” — a human being
From this reading “Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.”
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading “Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.”
plural of “nickname” — a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)
From this reading “These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.”
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “Substantives are either proper or common.”
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading “SECTION I.”
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 “These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.”
In this reading “Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Substantives are either proper or common.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
a city in central England; 2nd largest English city and an important industrial and transportation center
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Substantives are either proper or common.
past form of “convert” — change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
one or the other of two
From this reading Substantives are either proper or common.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading OF SUBSTANTIVES IN GENERAL.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading SECTION I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading OF SUBSTANTIVES IN GENERAL.
plural of “individual” — a human being
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
plural of “nickname” — a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF SUBSTANTIVES IN GENERAL.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Substantives are either proper or common.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading Substantives are either proper or common.
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading SECTION I.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OF SUBSTANTIVES IN GENERAL.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These are sometimes converted into nicknames, or _im_proper names: as Bill, Brummagem.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Proper names, or substantives, are the names belonging to individuals: as William, Birmingham.
Chapter 7 of The Comic English Grammar by Percival Leigh holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 7 holds 155 sentences of The Comic English Grammar, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Comic English Grammar by Percival Leigh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 7 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 2141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43397 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43397, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 178 minutes of reading across 429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Comic English Grammar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Comic English Grammar 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 English Grammar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
