Chapter 3 of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor is here in full — 384 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor is here in full — 384 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--. But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness. Negative fact; goes against Phrenology. Not a bit of it. Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
Chapter 3 of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor is here in full — 384 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading “Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “Not a bit of it.”
knock against with force or violence
From this reading “But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.”
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading “Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.”
in the near future
From this reading “Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.”
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 Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
strong desire to acquire and possess
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.
(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 But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Not a bit of it.
knock against with force or violence
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
the quality of being in accord with the dictates of conscience
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Not a bit of it.
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.
not any; not one
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a bit of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not a bit of it.
above and across; more than
From this reading But B-- has no bump at all over Acquisitiveness.
a now abandoned study of the shape of skull as indicative of the strengths of different faculties
From this reading Negative fact; goes against Phrenology.
in the near future
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Presently B-- turns up, a bigger thief than A--.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don't you see how small Conscientiousness is?
Chapter 3 of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor by Thomas L. [Editor] Masson holds 384 sentences, grouped into 77 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 3 holds 384 sentences of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor by Thomas L. [Editor] Masson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 384 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 3 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 Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor by Thomas L. [Editor] Masson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1627 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6313 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6313, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 135 minutes of reading across 326 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor 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 Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
