English Book Club - Nicholas Nickleby

Teach

The book we are reading together at the moment is Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens.

You can download the copy we are reading from here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/967

You can listen to the book for fun, or in preparation for the session here: https://librivox.org/nicholas-nickleby-by-charles-dickens/

(The English Book Club meets every Monday on our Discord Server. You are welcome to come and read, or listen, but be warned, we read the whole book.)

Xanthippe

Vocabulary for the book:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gg150A2mCAuPMWidldgC0clnMQfgDSDs_1lstGSn_TY/edit#

Teach

April - Elinor - Hermine - Reem - Shiny - Nadia

April - preparation - butcher - lowest - avarice - considerate - incapable - sundry

Elinor - thawing

"big ‘un.”

Hermine - ludicrous - provincial - learned in the law - meditated - whoever (not however) - ignorance (to ignore) - purposely - credulous ˈkrɛdjʊləs incredulous - allow - virtues - fictitious - oftenest - munificent

comprises - remarkable - live (they live - the broadcast is live)

ignore - ɪɡˈnɔː
ignorance: ˈɪɡn(ə)r(ə)ns

Reem - latitudes - climates - upon - arithmetical - easily - extricate ˈɛkstrɪkeɪt - requested - forward - communication - patronage - accession - desire - offer - blameless - agreeable - impetuous - temper - lifted - nature - Devonshire - Nickleby - worthy - being - aspire - fortune - wedded - old flame - play

"There once lived, in a sequestered part of the county of Devonshire..."

difficulty - interchanged

Shiny - likened - fluctuated (stress) - vision - wore - Mrs. (not Miss) - executed

chivalrously -indignation

Nadia - purchased - produce (not to produce) - affluence (stress) - recitals - felony (stress) - envied (from envy) - soliloquies - usurer - arithmetic əˈrɪθmətɪk

‘two-pence ˈtʌp(ə)ns for every half-penny ˈheɪpni/’

ready-reckoners

Chapter 1 - Page 19
In like manner, did young Ralph Nickleby avoid all those minute and intricate
calculations of odd days, which nobody who has worked sums in simple-interest
can fail to have found most embarrassing,

Just-Learn

I'll try to prepare next times; hopefully I can be a regular participant; to understand the meaning of some context also to look up the new words, it's hard for me to focus on all of these at the session time.

Xanthippe

Updates available as usual.

Teach

Elinor - Hermine - Nadia - Aza - Shiny

Elinor - strive - living (not leaving) -

Well done - minute

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Nadia - merchant (hard ch) - spacious - passage - pen - bushy - precincts - pipes

wind

"They were concerned to find that his reason went astray after this"

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Hermine - nobody (no) - opined (not pinned) - mixture - patent (not patient) - benevolent - countenance - particularly pəˈtɪkjʊləli genial - dozen (not doze)

"lingers on"

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Aza - Nickleby - fir tree - chancing(not changing) - presented (to present not a present) - cadaverous - suit of clothes - contrived - peculiar - triumphed - determine (not mine) - numerous - peculiarities

contemplating - squeezing


‘perhaps it is.’
-----------------------------------------

Shiny - respecting - stationary - familiarly - hounds - borrowed - paralysis

Parliament - vivacity - premium


"bring them with you." (no stress on them)

Chapter 2 -
The kind-hearted gentleman omitted to add that Newman Noggs, being utterly
destitute, served him for rather less than the usual wages of a boy of thirteen; and
likewise failed to mention in his hasty chronicle,

Xanthippe

Updates available. A very nice family conversation -

‘Mine was no common loss!’ said Mrs. Nickleby, applying her handkerchief to her eyes.

‘It was no uncommon loss, ma’am,’ returned Ralph, as he coolly unbuttoned his spencer. ‘Husbands die every day, ma’am, and wives too.’

‘And brothers also, sir,’ said Nicholas, with a glance of indignation.

‘Yes, sir, and puppies, and pug-dogs likewise,’ replied his uncle, taking a chair.

Teach

Shiny - Reem - Elinor - Hermine - Nadia

Reem - omitted - destitute - served - wages - mention - hasty (from haste) - chronicle (hard c) - eccentric - taciturnity - desirable - out of doors - cabriolet - forgot (past of forget) - Bishopsgate - being (not began) - tacking (not taking) - gigantic - announcements - public meeting - precisely - petitioning Parliament- sums - duly - considerable - briskly - progress (not process) - dived into a suite of apartments (not suit)

United Metropolitan Improved Hot Muffin and Crumpet Baking and Punctual Delivery Company

---------------------------------

Shiny - hackney - feverish - bows (they were bowing to each other) - desperate - separate (adj not to separate) -
observed - diversions - various - emanating - quiet - tingling - ingenious

--------------------------------

Elinor - liquors ˈlɪkəz - of every description (not in)

---------------------------------

Hermine - seconded the resolution (to second ˈsɛk(ə)nd/ something) expediency - inestimable - periods - warmth - wholly - honourable (silent h) - appalling - all classes - patent boots - grievous

beneath - determination

---------------------------------

Nadia - poured - various - petition - guineas - zealous - possess - pursued - pausing (not posing)

He is dead.

" a cordial farewell"

(Nowadays do not say "Scotch".)


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Chapter 3 - Page 34

Children alive?’ inquired Noggs, stepping up to him.‘Why, that’s the very thing,’ replied Mr. Nickleby, as though his thoughts were about them at that moment. ‘They are both alive.’‘Both!’ repeated Newman Noggs, in a low voice.‘And the widow, too,’ added Mr. Nickleby, ‘and all three in London, confound them; all three here, Newman.

mheredge

@ThomasJude are you aware of this topic?