Chapter 1 of An Essay on Laughter is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of An Essay on Laughter is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology. 2 vols. 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY. Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY. Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.
Chapter 1 of An Essay on Laughter is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.”
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading “Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.”
the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy
From this reading “Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.”
a concise reference book providing specific information about a subject or location
From this reading “Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.”
plural of “outline” — the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading “8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.”
the science of mental life
From this reading “_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.”
plural of “study” — a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.”
possessive form of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching
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 “_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2 vols.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.
the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy
From this reading Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.
a concise reference book providing specific information about a subject or location
From this reading Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
plural of “outline” — the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
the science of mental life
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Identical; not different.
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
plural of “study” — a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Crown 8vo, 6_s._ 6_d._ STUDIES OF CHILDHOOD.
possessive form of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading Crown 8vo, 9_s._ THE TEACHER’S HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ THE HUMAN MIND: a Text-book of Psychology.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8vo, 21_s._ OUTLINES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2 vols.
Chapter 1 of An Essay on Laughter by James Sully holds 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 1 holds 23 sentences of An Essay on Laughter, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of An Essay on Laughter by James Sully exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 1 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 An Essay on Laughter by James Sully on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5500 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58606 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58606, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1100 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Essay on Laughter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of An Essay on Laughter 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 An Essay on Laughter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
