Chapter 4 of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BRACK. Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances. The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA. [_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols! I might have known it!
Chapter 4 of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
with excitement; in an excited manner
plural of “illusion” — an erroneous mental representation
From this reading “Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.”
mourned or grieved for
From this reading “Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.”
plural of “pause” — a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “[_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols!”
of or relating to poetry
From this reading “Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.”
break into many pieces
From this reading “Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.”
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 “Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.”
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 Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BRACK.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading [_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols!
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols!
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading [_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I might have known it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I might have known it!
plural of “illusion” — an erroneous mental representation
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I might have known it!
apprehended with certainty
From this reading I might have known it!
mourned or grieved for
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I might have known it!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
plural of “pause” — a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading [_Excitedly._] General Gabler's pistols!
of or relating to poetry
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
break into many pieces
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shot did _not_ strike him in the _breast_--but---- [_Pauses._ HEDDA.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Sorry to shatter your poetical illusions, little Mrs. Hedda, but, as a matter of fact, our lamented friend met his end under other circumstances.
Chapter 4 of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen by F. Anstey holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen by F. Anstey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen by F. Anstey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35305, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 175 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen 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 Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
