Chapter 1 of Nonsense Novels is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Nonsense Novels is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.” “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust. So! A further complication! Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
Chapter 1 of Nonsense Novels is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 23/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 111–115
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.
a reactionary politician in the United States (usually from the South)
From this reading “Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!”
the act or process of complicating
From this reading “A further complication!”
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading ““Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.”
past form of “denounce” — speak out against
From this reading “Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading ““You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.””
fill with distaste
From this reading ““Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.”
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
From this reading ““Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading ““Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.”
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 A further complication!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
a reactionary politician in the United States (usually from the South)
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
the act or process of complicating
From this reading A further complication!
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
past form of “denounce” — speak out against
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
fill with distaste
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading A further complication!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “Wretched little pup!” said the Countess of Dashleigh in disgust.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have come,” said the Great Detective, “about the Prince of Wurttemberg.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Far from being in love with the Prince, the Countess denounced the young Bourbon as a pup!
Chapter 1 of Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 1 holds 398 sentences of Nonsense Novels, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 1 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 Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2415 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4682 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4682, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 483 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nonsense Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Nonsense Novels 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 Nonsense Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
