Chapter 8 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Ye can not serve God and mama!” * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection. “Yes, sir. Taste that, sir,” said the corporal promptly. The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
Chapter 8 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “* * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.”
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading “* * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.”
a formal or official examination
From this reading “* * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.”
existing as or having characteristics of a liquid; especially tending to flow
From this reading “The colonel put the liquid to his lips.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading ““Ye can not serve God and mama!””
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading “* * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.”
with little or no delay
From this reading “Taste that, sir,” said the corporal promptly.”
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading ““Ye can not serve God and mama!””
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 “* * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.”
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 * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
a formal or official examination
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
existing as or having characteristics of a liquid; especially tending to flow
From this reading The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
with little or no delay
From this reading Taste that, sir,” said the corporal promptly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading Taste that, sir,” said the corporal promptly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Taste that, sir,” said the corporal promptly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * “Any complaints, corporal?” said the colonel, making one morning a personal inspection.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The colonel put the liquid to his lips.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading “Ye can not serve God and mama!”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir.
Chapter 8 of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1 by William [Editor] Patten holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 8 holds 400 sentences of Among the Humorists and After Dinner Speakers, Vol. 1, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 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 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 8 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.
