Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Vol. 153. MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES. The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him. "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself. If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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 long seat for more than one person
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
From this reading “"He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.”
a person who inhabits a particular place
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
superlative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
someone who visits
From this reading “The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.”
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 Vol. 153.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES.
a person who inhabits a particular place
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES.
superlative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
term of address for a man
From this reading "He do be mentioned in despatches, do our Billy, by Sir DOUGLAS HAIG himself.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
someone who visits
From this reading The oldest inhabitant sat on a bench in the sun, the day's newspaper spread across his knees, and the newest visitor sat beside him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vol. 153.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If it hadn't a-been for him, where'd the Army been? he says.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 by Various holds 497 sentences, grouped into 100 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 497 sentences of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 497 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 497 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8643 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8643, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 41 minutes of reading across 100 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Punch — Volume 153, July 4, 1917 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 — Volume 153, July 4, 1917, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
