Chapter 13 of The humour of Holland is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The humour of Holland is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Michiel._ See there! I knew we should catch them. _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_). Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here. _Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).
Chapter 13 of The humour of Holland is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “I knew we should catch them.”
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading “_Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).”
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading “_Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “_Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).”
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.”
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.”
get by special effort
From this reading “Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.”
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “_Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).”
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 “_Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Michiel._ See there!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
get by special effort
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading _Michiel._ See there!
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading _Michiel_ (_as he is seized by the Dutch_).
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Michiel._ See there!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Nicolaas_ (_to the Dutch leader, pointing at Michiel_).
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I knew we should catch them.
which person or people
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Captain, you had better secure this rascal! it was he who brought the rebels here.
Chapter 13 of The humour of Holland by W. H. (Will H.) [Editor] Dircks holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 13 holds 436 sentences of The humour of Holland, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The humour of Holland by W. H. (Will H.) [Editor] Dircks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 humour of Holland by W. H. (Will H.) [Editor] Dircks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6954 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64761 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64761, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 579 minutes of reading across 1391 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The humour of Holland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The humour of Holland 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 humour of Holland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
