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The Fat of the Land
The Fat of the Land

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."
"Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?
If not, you don't play fair."
"We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."
"I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Fat of the Land

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."
Line 2
"Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?
Line 3
If not, you don't play fair."
Line 4
"We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."
Line 5
"I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."
/aɪ ˈfænsi juː wɪl hæv tuː brɪŋ ɔːl jɔːr rɪˈzɜːrvz ˈɪntuː ˈækʃən ðɪs taɪm ˈmɪstər ˈhedmən fɔːr juː ˈprɑːməst tuː meɪk ə ɡʊd ˈʃoʊɪŋ æt ðə end ʌv ðə θɜːrd jɪr/

Learner Dictionary

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.

accounts noun US /əˈkaʊnts/

plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading “THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."”

balance verb US /ˈbæləns/

bring into balance or equilibrium

From this reading “THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."”

critical adjective US /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/

marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws

From this reading “"We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."”

December noun US /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading “THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."”

Headman noun US /ˈhedmən/

an executioner who beheads the condemned person

From this reading “"I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."”

reserve noun US /rɪˈzɜːrv/

formality and propriety of manner

From this reading “"We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."”

reserves noun US /rɪˈzɜːrvz/

civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

From this reading “"I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."”

settle verb US /ˈsetəl/

settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

From this reading “THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

31

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

accountsnounUS /əˈkaʊnts/

plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

actionnounUS /ˈækʃən/

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

Aren't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

balanceverbUS /ˈbæləns/

bring into balance or equilibrium

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

creditnounUS /ˈkredət/

approval

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

criticaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/

marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

DecembernounUS /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If not, you don't play fair."

ENDnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

enemynounUS /ˈenəmi/

an opposing military force

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading If not, you don't play fair."

fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

figuresnounUS /ˈfɪɡjərz/

plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

generallyadverbUS /ˈdʒenərəli/

usually; as a rule

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

HeadmannounUS /ˈhedmən/

an executioner who beheads the condemned person

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

healthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If not, you don't play fair."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

let's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

neededadjectiveUS /ˈniːdəd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading If not, you don't play fair."

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading If not, you don't play fair."

Polly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

reservenounUS /rɪˈzɜːrv/

formality and propriety of manner

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

reservesnounUS /rɪˈzɜːrvz/

civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

settleverbUS /ˈsetəl/

settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

showingnounUS /ˈʃoʊɪŋ/

the display of a motion picture

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

springnounUS /sprɪŋ/

the season of growth

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

THIRDnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

We'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

won't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "We'll keep those things in reserve, to spring on the enemy at a critical moment; perhaps they won't be needed."

YEARnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR "Polly," said I, on the evening of December 31, "let's settle the accounts for the year, and see how much we must credit to 'experience' to make the figures balance."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Aren't you going to credit anything to health, and good times generally?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I fancy you will have to bring all your reserves into action this time, Mr. Headman, for you promised to make a good showing at the end of the third year."

Chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land by John Williams Streeter holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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.

What does chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land contain?

Chapter 39 holds 69 sentences of The Fat of the Land, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land by John Williams Streeter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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.

How do I study chapter 39 of The Fat of the Land?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 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.

Can chapter 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.

Questions about reading The Fat of the Land

Common questions about reading The Fat of the Land by John Williams Streeter on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fat of the Land?

Yes. All 4487 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16525 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fat of the Land is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #16525, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fat of the Land take to read?

About 373 minutes of reading across 898 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fat of the Land section by section

How to work through The Fat of the Land section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Fat of the Land

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fat of the Land, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Location
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fat of the Land; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Experiment
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fat of the Land; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Utmost
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fat of the Land; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Importance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fat of the Land; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.