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Ponkapog Papers
Ponkapog Papers

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Ponkapog Papers
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.
Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.
His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of Cato contained some proper good lines.
Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.
His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Ponkapog Papers

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.
Line 2
Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.
Line 3
His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy ofCatocontained some proper good lines.
Line 4
Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.
Line 5
His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

a

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Addison's

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

age

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

Alexander

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

an

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

and

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

at

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

atmosphere

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

authors

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

breath

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

but

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

Cato

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

Charles

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

classics

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

contained

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

convenable

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

disapprobation

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

distance

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

drew

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

earlier

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

enchanting

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

English

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

expressed

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

favorite

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

fine

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Folio's

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

friend

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

good

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

greatly

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

habitual

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

he

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

his

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

in

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Izaak

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

Lamb

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

lines

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

literature

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

loved

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

man

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

modern

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

Mr

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

Next

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

of

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Often

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

old-fashioned

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Our

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

periods

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

phrases

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

poet

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

Pope

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

preferring

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

proper

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

racy

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

reader

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

smiling

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

some

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

sweet

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

talk

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

tenderly

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

that

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

the

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

though

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

thought

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

to

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

Tom

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

tragedy

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

From this reading His poet was Alexander Pope, though he thought Mr. Addison's tragedy of “Cato” contained some proper good lines.

various

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

From this reading His smiling, tenderly expressed disapprobation of various modern authors was enchanting.

Victorian

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

Walton

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

From this reading Next to Charles Lamb, but at a convenable distance, Izaak Walton was Tom Folio's favorite.

was

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

who

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

wide

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

From this reading Our friend was a wide reader in English classics, greatly preferring the literature of the earlier periods to that of the Victorian age.

with

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

From this reading Often his talk was sweet and racy with old-fashioned phrases; the talk of a man who loved books and drew habitual breath in an atmosphere of fine thought.

Chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers by Thomas Bailey Aldrich holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers contain?

Chapter 4 holds 140 sentences of Ponkapog Papers, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers by Thomas Bailey Aldrich exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Ponkapog Papers?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Ponkapog Papers

Common questions about reading Ponkapog Papers by Thomas Bailey Aldrich on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Ponkapog Papers?

Yes. All 1324 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #625 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ponkapog Papers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #625, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Ponkapog Papers take to read?

About 110 minutes of reading across 265 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Ponkapog Papers section by section

How to work through Ponkapog Papers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of Ponkapog Papers to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Ponkapog Papers

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ponkapog Papers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

These
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ponkapog Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Miscellaneous
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ponkapog Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ponkapog Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Essays
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ponkapog Papers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.