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Jokes For All Occasions
Jokes For All Occasions

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Jokes For All Occasions
Context Illustration Reading 1/97 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.
It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.
Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.
One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.
The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Jokes For All Occasions

Chapter I

Reading 1/97 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.
Line 2
It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.
Line 3
Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.
Line 4
One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.
Line 5
The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Art auxiliary verb US /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading “It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.”

Point noun US /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading “One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.”

Printed noun US /printed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “_Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.”

All words in this reading · 73

Every word is available to listen to. 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 _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

America

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

amusing

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

any

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

brevity

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

Broadly

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

From this reading Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

cap

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

chief

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

climax

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

devotes

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

distinguished

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

From this reading Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.

down

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

elaboration

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

extreme

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

gratifying

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

guide

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

impossible

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

lay

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

makes

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

making

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

many

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

methods

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

From this reading Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.

narration

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

narrative

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

offer

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

other

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

perfect

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

possible

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

practise

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

precise

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

preliminary

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

PrintednounUS /printed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

reliance

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

rules

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

serves

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

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

States

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

story

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

success

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

suggestions

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

tellers

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

telling

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

there

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

From this reading Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The other devotes itself in great part to preliminary elaboration in the narrative, making this as amusing as possible, so that the point itself serves to cap a climax.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.

two

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

From this reading Broadly distinguished, there are two methods of telling a story.

United

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

uses

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

From this reading One uses the extreme of brevity, and makes its chief reliance on the point.

ways

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

From this reading _Printed in the United States of America_ The ways of telling a story are as many as the tellers themselves.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading It is impossible to lay down precise rules by which any one may perfect himself in the art, but it is possible to offer suggestions by which to guide practise in narration toward a gratifying success.