Chapter 4 of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 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 Scottish Humour is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha. “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?” Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered. “Ou ay,” he said, at length. “I’m no saying ’at ye’re no a humorist.
Chapter 4 of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
someone who acts speaks or writes in an amusing way
From this reading ““Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?””
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading ““Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?””
expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
From this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
past form of “scratch” — cause friction
From this reading “Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered.”
place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading ““Ou ay,” he said, at length.”
seek information from
In this reading “After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.”
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 “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
later than; following
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Ou ay,” he said, at length.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ou ay,” he said, at length.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
the organ of sight
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
someone who acts speaks or writes in an amusing way
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “Ou ay,” he said, at length.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
in a meditative manner
From this reading Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered.
not any; not one
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ou ay,” he said, at length.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “I’m no saying ’at ye’re no a humorist.
past form of “scratch” — cause friction
From this reading Hendry scratched the old sow meditatively, before he answered.
place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
in the company of; together with
From this reading After Tammas had finished boring half-a-dozen holes in the old sow with his sarcastic eye, he looked up, and addressed Hendry McQumpha.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading “Hendry,” he said, “ye ken I’m a humorist, div ye no?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m no saying ’at ye’re no a humorist.
Chapter 4 of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour by J. A. (John Alexander) [Editor] Hammerton holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 148 sentences of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour by J. A. (John Alexander) [Editor] Hammerton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Scottish Humour by J. A. (John Alexander) [Editor] Hammerton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 697 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49309 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49309, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 58 minutes of reading across 140 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Mr. Punch's Scottish Humour 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 Scottish Humour, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
