Chapter 1 of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 is here in full — 657 sentences across 132 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 is here in full — 657 sentences across 132 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SELF-HELP. _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills. Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts. The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate. Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
Chapter 1 of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 is here in full — 657 sentences across 132 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/131 · 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.
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading “Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.”
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “_Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.”
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading “Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.”
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “_Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.”
plural of “fee” — a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
From this reading “Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.”
act or move at high speed
From this reading “Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.”
a periodical that is published every month (or 12 issues per year)
From this reading “Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.”
the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on anyone else
From this reading “SELF-HELP.”
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.
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 Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
(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 _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
plural of “fee” — a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
act or move at high speed
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
and nothing more
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
a periodical that is published every month (or 12 issues per year)
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
the local environment
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
yielding a fair profit
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
except for; apart from
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
get by special effort
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on anyone else
From this reading SELF-HELP.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Have just seen an advertisement of _The Domestic Doctor, a Dictionary of Medicine_, issued in monthly parts.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading _Monday._--Am sick of paying all these doctor's bills.
a special situation
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hasten to secure Part I. Shall now be able to doctor myself and save all fees.
precisely as stated
From this reading The very thing for a man like me, somewhat delicate.
Chapter 1 of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 by Various holds 657 sentences, grouped into 132 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 657 sentences of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893, unabridged, divided into 132 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 657 sentences, grouped into 132 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 132 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 132 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 Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39381, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 54 minutes of reading across 132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893 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 Punch — The London Charivari, November 4th 1893, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
