Chapter 1 of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 is here in full — 628 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 is here in full — 628 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JUNE 9, 1920. CHARIVARIA. Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order. Very few subscribers noticed the difference. A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 is here in full — 628 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/125 · 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.
equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
From this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
up to the immediate present; most recent or most up-to-date
From this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
owed as a debt
From this reading “Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.”
-ing form of “photograph” — record on photographic film
From this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
From this reading “Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.”
plural of “subscriber” — someone who expresses strong approval
From this reading “Very few subscribers noticed the difference.”
plural of “telephone” — electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.”
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 this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
In this reading “Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.”
In this reading “A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.”
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 JUNE 9, 1920.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JUNE 9, 1920.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHARIVARIA.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading Very few subscribers noticed the difference.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Very few subscribers noticed the difference.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading JUNE 9, 1920.
up to the immediate present; most recent or most up-to-date
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
used to form the superlative
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
in motion
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
being perceived or observed
From this reading Very few subscribers noticed the difference.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
owed as a debt
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
-ing form of “photograph” — record on photographic film
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
plural of “subscriber” — someone who expresses strong approval
From this reading Very few subscribers noticed the difference.
plural of “telephone” — electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very few subscribers noticed the difference.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Owing to heavy storms the other day one thousand London telephones were thrown out of order.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A camera capable of photographing the most rapid moving objects in the world is the latest invention of an American.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 by Various holds 628 sentences, grouped into 126 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 628 sentences of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 628 sentences, grouped into 126 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 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 126 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 — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 628 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31119 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31119, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Punch — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920 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 — Vol. 158, June 9, 1920, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
