Chapter 1 of Punch is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Punch is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. SEPTEMBER 9, 1914. CHARIVARIA. The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement. Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
Chapter 1 of Punch is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading “Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."”
plural of “half” — one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."”
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.”
very bad
From this reading “Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “SEPTEMBER 9, 1914.”
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading “The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEPTEMBER 9, 1914.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEPTEMBER 9, 1914.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
(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 Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHARIVARIA.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
plural of “half” — one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
not any; not one
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
in other respects or ways
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
very bad
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading SEPTEMBER 9, 1914.
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
in the company of; together with
From this reading The _Deutsche Tageszeitung_ says:--"Our present war with England shall not be done by halves; it is no war to be stopped by 'notice,' but by a proper settlement.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Otherwise the peace we all desire would be both rotten and dangerous."
Chapter 1 of Punch by Various holds 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 492 sentences of Punch, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 968 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27360, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 80 minutes of reading across 194 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Punch 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, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
