Chapter 3 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind. When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth! And no hair!” Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us! It’s an old baby.”
Chapter 3 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading “When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!”
given to inquiry
From this reading “In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!”
in the recent past
From this reading “In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!”
large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
From this reading “In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.”
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.”
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 “When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!”
In this reading “In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.”
In this reading “Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!”
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 In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It’s an old baby.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And no hair!”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading It’s an old baby.”
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading And no hair!”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
where you live at a particular time
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
given to inquiry
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s an old baby.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
not any; not one
From this reading And no hair!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It’s an old baby.”
in the recent past
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
a male human offspring
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
in or at that place or location
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then, clasping his hands in despair, he cried: “Somebody has done us!
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
at the time that
From this reading When he was first taken in to see the new arrival he exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, it hasn’t any teeth!
in or at the place that
From this reading In a certain home where the stork recently visited there is a six-year-old son of inquiring mind.
Chapter 3 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 by William [Editor] Patten holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 3 holds 405 sentences of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 by William [Editor] Patten exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 3 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 Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 by William [Editor] Patten on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4386 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 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 Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
