Chapter 2 of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious. It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles. "Medium rich" to a cousin or so. More subtle is "medium body." This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
Chapter 2 of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
third-person singular of “apply” — put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading “It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.”
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.”
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading “"Medium rich" to a cousin or so.”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “"Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “More subtle is "medium body."”
plural of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.”
of or relating to Queen Victoria of Great Britain or to the age in which she ruled
From this reading “It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.”
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 "Medium rich" to a cousin or so.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
third-person singular of “apply” — put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading More subtle is "medium body."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "Medium rich" to a cousin or so.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading "Medium rich" to a cousin or so.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Medium rich" to a cousin or so.
possessing material wealth
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Medium rich" to a cousin or so.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Fine old style, rich," is, of course, obvious.
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading More subtle is "medium body."
a state of acute pain
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading This must be Uncle Hilary; he takes little exercise nowadays and his figure is suffering.
plural of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
of or relating to Queen Victoria of Great Britain or to the age in which she ruled
From this reading It applies to more than one of my Victorian uncles.
Chapter 2 of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 by Various holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 2 holds 379 sentences of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 2 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 159, December 22, 1920 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 761 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19350 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19350, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 63 minutes of reading across 153 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 1920 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Punch — Volume 159, December 22, 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 — Volume 159, December 22, 1920, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
