Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 is here in full — 611 sentences across 123 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 93, December 17, 1887 is here in full — 611 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. VOL. 93. DECEMBER 17, 1887. THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 is here in full — 611 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/122 · 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.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “DECEMBER 17, 1887.”
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.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.”
an empire in southern Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC
From this reading “THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.”
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading “THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DECEMBER 17, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DECEMBER 17, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 93.
a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading DECEMBER 17, 1887.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
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.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
an empire in southern Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
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 LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P. FROM THE MINISTER TO PERSIA.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VOL.
Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 by Various holds 611 sentences, grouped into 123 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 611 sentences of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887, unabridged, divided into 123 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 611 sentences, grouped into 123 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 123 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 123 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 93, December 17, 1887 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 611 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40629, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 50 minutes of reading across 123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Punch — Volume 93, December 17, 1887 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 93, December 17, 1887, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
