Chapter 10 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OF VERBS. SECTION I. OF THE NATURE OF VERBS IN GENERAL. The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar. Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
Chapter 10 of The Comic English Grammar is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
having a defect
From this reading “Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.”
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading “The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.”
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
From this reading “Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.”
plural of “language” — a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.”
a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to inanimate objects (neither masculine nor feminine)
From this reading “Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.”
lacking in energy or will
From this reading “Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.”
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading “SECTION I.”
plural of “verb” — the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence
From this reading “OF VERBS.”
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 “The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.”
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.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
(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 The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
in addition
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
having a defect
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading OF THE NATURE OF VERBS IN GENERAL.
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading SECTION I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading OF THE NATURE OF VERBS IN GENERAL.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
plural of “language” — a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading OF THE NATURE OF VERBS IN GENERAL.
a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to inanimate objects (neither masculine nor feminine)
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF VERBS.
lacking in energy or will
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading Verbs are divided into Active, Passive, and Neuter; and also into Regular, Irregular, and Defective.
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading SECTION I.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OF THE NATURE OF VERBS IN GENERAL.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The nature of Verbs in general, and that in all languages, is, that they are the most difficult things in the Grammar.
plural of “verb” — the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence
From this reading OF VERBS.
Chapter 10 of The Comic English Grammar by Percival Leigh holds 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 10 holds 352 sentences of The Comic English Grammar, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Comic English Grammar by Percival Leigh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 10 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 English Grammar by Percival Leigh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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.
