Chapter 13 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I receive an insulting Christmas card. We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s. A Mr. Moss is rather too free. A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark. I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
Chapter 13 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading “A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.”
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “I receive an insulting Christmas card.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “I receive an insulting Christmas card.”
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading “I receive an insulting Christmas card.”
any plant of the genus Lupinus; bearing erect spikes of usually purplish-blue flowers
From this reading “I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.”
tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading “A Mr. Moss is rather too free.”
-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of
From this reading “I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.”
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 We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
any plant of the genus Lupinus; bearing erect spikes of usually purplish-blue flowers
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
a form of address for a man
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
on the contrary
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading I receive an insulting Christmas card.
-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading I receive an extraordinary letter from Mr. Mutlar, senior, respecting Lupin.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading A Mr. Moss is rather too free.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We spend a pleasant Christmas at Carrie’s mother’s.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A boisterous evening, during which I am struck in the dark.
Chapter 13 of The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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.
Chapter 13 holds 119 sentences of The Diary of a Nobody, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 13 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 Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2463 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1026 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1026, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 205 minutes of reading across 493 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Diary of a Nobody section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Diary of a Nobody 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 Diary of a Nobody, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
