The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Lamb • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

What a comfort, or what a care, may I not have missed in her!--But I have cousins, sprinkled about in Hertfordshire--besides _two_, with whom I have been all my life in habits of the closest intimacy, and whom I may term cousins _par excellence_.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/78

The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 Charles Lamb

Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember. By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan. Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them. A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies. What a comfort, or what a care, may I not have missed in her!--But I have cousins, sprinkled about in Hertfordshire--besides _two_, with whom I have been all my life in habits of the closest intimacy, and whom I may term cousins _par excellence_.

The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

Line 2

By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

/baɪ ðə ˈʌŋkəlz saɪd aɪ meɪ biː sed tuː hæv bɪn bɔːrn æn ˈɔːrfən/

Line 3

Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

Line 4

A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

Line 5

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.

aunts noun US /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading “Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.”

closest adverb US /ˈkloʊsəst/

(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance

From this reading “What a comfort, or what a care, may I not have missed in her!--But I have cousins, sprinkled about in Hertfordshire--besides _two_, with whom I have been all my life in habits of the closest intimacy, and whom I may term cousins _par excellence_.”

cousins noun US /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

excellence noun US /ˈeksələns/

the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree

orphan noun US /ˈɔːrfən/

a child who has lost both parents

From this reading “By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.”

par noun US /pɑːr/

(golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course

sprinkled verb US /ˈsprɪŋkəld/

past form of “sprinkle” — distribute loosely

uncle's noun US /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading “By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading What a comfort, or what a care, may I not have missed in her!--But I have cousins, sprinkled about in Hertfordshire--besides _two_, with whom I have been all my life in habits of the closest intimacy, and whom I may term cousins _par excellence_.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

auntsnounUS /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

besidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

BrothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

callsnounUS /kɔːlz/

plural of “call” — a telephone connection

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

closestadverbUS /ˈkloʊsəst/

(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance

comfortnounUS /ˈkʌmfərt/

a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain

cousinsnounUS /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

ElizabethnounUS /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

excellencenounUS /ˈeksələns/

the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree

habitsnounUS /ˈhæbəts/

plural of “habit” — an established custom

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

Hertfordshirenoun

a county in southern England

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

infancies

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

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

intimacynounUS /ˈɪntəməsi/

close or warm friendship

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

MalenounUS /meɪl/

an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

missedadjectiveUS /mɪst/

not caught with the senses or the mind

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

orphannounUS /ˈɔːrfən/

a child who has lost both parents

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

parnounUS /pɑːr/

(golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading Brother, or sister, I never had any--to know them.

somebodypronounUS /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

sprinkledverbUS /ˈsprɪŋkəld/

past form of “sprinkle” — distribute loosely

termnounUS /tɜːrm/

a word or expression used for some particular thing

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading A sister, I think, that should have been Elizabeth, died in both our infancies.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Male aunts, as somebody calls them, I had none--to remember.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

uncle'snounUS /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading By the uncle's side I may be said to have been born an orphan.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 by Charles Lamb holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 4 holds 390 sentences of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 by Charles Lamb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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.

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Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #10343, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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