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Ghetto Comedies
Ghetto Comedies

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Ghetto Comedies
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?
And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!
I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.
Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'
XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Ghetto Comedies

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?
Line 2
And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!
/ənd ɪt ɪz juː huː hæv ðə ɑːˈdæs.ə.t̬i tuː kəmˈpleɪn ʌv miː/
Line 3
I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.
/aɪ æt liːst duː maɪ oʊn ˈdɜːrti wɜːrk nɑːt haɪd ˌmaɪˈself bɪˈhaɪnd stɑːks ənd ʃerz/
Line 4
Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'
Line 5
XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Atonement noun US /əˈtoʊnmənt/

compensation for a wrong

From this reading “How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?”

diplomatic adjective US /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/

relating to or characteristic of diplomacy

From this reading “XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.”

industrial adjective US /ˌɪnˈdʌstriəl/

of or relating to or resulting from industry

From this reading “How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?”

locomotives noun US /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪvz/

plural of “locomotive” — a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks

From this reading “Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'”

Sabbath noun US /ˈsæbəθ/

a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims

From this reading “How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?”

stinking adjective US /ˈstɪŋkɪŋ/

very bad

From this reading “Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'”

stocks noun US /stɑːks/

a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction

From this reading “I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.”

tunnels noun US /ˈtʌnəlz/

plural of “tunnel” — a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars)

From this reading “Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

AtonementnounUS /əˈtoʊnmənt/

compensation for a wrong

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

audacitynounUS /ɑːˈdæs.ə.t̬i/

A willingness to take bold risks; insolent and daring boldness that defies all authority.

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

ay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

complainverbUS /kəmˈpleɪn/

express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

DaynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

delayverbUS /dɪˈleɪ/

cause to be slowed down or delayed

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

diplomaticadjectiveUS /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/

relating to or characteristic of diplomacy

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

dirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/

soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

encounterverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

come together

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

Gabbai

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

heathennounUS /ˈhiːðən/

a person who does not acknowledge your god

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

industrialadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdʌstriəl/

of or relating to or resulting from industry

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

JewnounUS /dʒuː/

a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

locomotivesnounUS /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪvz/

plural of “locomotive” — a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

longeradverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡər/

for more time

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

Parnass

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

SabbathnounUS /ˈsæbəθ/

a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

Shabbos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

sharesnounUS /ʃerz/

plural of “share” — assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

sidings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

stinkingadjectiveUS /ˈstɪŋkɪŋ/

very bad

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

stocksnounUS /stɑːks/

a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

tunnelsnounUS /ˈtʌnəlz/

plural of “tunnel” — a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars)

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading How can any Jew hold industrial shares in a heathen country without being a partner in a Sabbath business--ay, and opening on the Day of Atonement itself?

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading I, at least, do my own dirty work, not hide myself behind stocks and shares.

XIVnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading XIV The _Parnass_ could no longer delay the diplomatic encounter.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading And it is you who have the audacity to complain of me!

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Good _Shabbos_ to you, Mr. _Gabbai_, and kindly mind your own business in future--your locomotives and your sidings and your stinking tunnels.'

Chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies by Israel Zangwill holds 408 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.

What does chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies contain?

Chapter 7 holds 408 sentences of Ghetto Comedies, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of Ghetto Comedies?

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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

Questions about reading Ghetto Comedies

Common questions about reading Ghetto Comedies by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Ghetto Comedies?

Yes. All 7036 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28982 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ghetto Comedies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28982, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Ghetto Comedies take to read?

About 586 minutes of reading across 1408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Ghetto Comedies section by section

How to work through Ghetto Comedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of Ghetto Comedies to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Ghetto Comedies

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ghetto Comedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Images
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ghetto Comedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Original
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ghetto Comedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pages
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ghetto Comedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Available
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ghetto Comedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.