Chapter 4 of Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning." "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?" Received with more chunks of silence. He meant a place where they sold liquor. He should have said "_a Pub_."
Chapter 4 of Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 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.
plural of “chunk” — a compact mass
From this reading “Received with more chunks of silence.”
plural of “gag” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “He meant a place where they sold liquor.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “He meant a place where they sold liquor.”
tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “He meant a place where they sold liquor.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"”
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 Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
plural of “chunk” — a compact mass
From this reading Received with more chunks of silence.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
plural of “gag” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He should have said "_a Pub_."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Received with more chunks of silence.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals
From this reading He should have said "_a Pub_."
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Received with more chunks of silence.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He should have said "_a Pub_."
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
cut with a saw
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He should have said "_a Pub_."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Received with more chunks of silence.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I couldn't stay in there all day, could I?"
in or at the place that
From this reading He meant a place where they sold liquor.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Received with more chunks of silence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Another of their "gags" was-- "I saw you coming out of a saloon this morning."
Chapter 4 of Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 4 holds 406 sentences of Continuous Vaudeville, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 4 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 Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1585 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28327 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28327, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Continuous Vaudeville section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Continuous Vaudeville 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 Continuous Vaudeville, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
