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Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887
Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 is here in full — 621 sentences across 125 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Various • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887
Context Illustration Reading 1/124 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P.
+From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.
The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.
The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.
The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 is here in full — 621 sentences across 125 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/124 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P.
Line 2
+From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.
/frʌm ðə lɔːrd ˈmeɪər ʌv ˈdʌblɪn ˈmænʃən haʊs ˈdʌblɪn ˈsætərdi/
Line 3
The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.
/ðə nuːz frʌm ˈaɪərlənd nɑːt ɔːl ʌv wɪtʃ faɪndz ɪts weɪ ˈɪntuː jɔːr ˈdeɪli ˈpeɪpərz ɡroʊz ɪn ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/
Line 4
The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.
Line 5
The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

Learner Dictionary

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.

addresses noun US /ˈæˈdresɪz/

plural of “address” — (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
castles noun US /ˈkæsəlz/

plural of “castle” — a large and stately mansion

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
constituents noun US /kənˈstɪtʃuːənts/

plural of “constituent” — an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Dublin noun US /ˈdʌblɪn/

capital and largest city and major port of the Irish Republic

From this reading “+From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exploit verb US /ˈeksplɔɪt/

use or manipulate to one's advantage

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortifying verb US /ˈfɔːrtɪfaɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “fortify” — make strong or stronger

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gentry noun US /ˈdʒentri/

the most powerful members of a society

From this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toby noun US /ˈtoʊbi/

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.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

daily papers noun + noun

In this reading “The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.”

758 times in 426,212 chapters
outer wall adjective + noun

In this reading “The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.”

1,124 times in 426,212 chapters
taken root adjective + noun

In this reading “The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.”

601 times in 426,212 chapters
hang out verb + adjective

spend time in a certain location or with certain people

In this reading “The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.”

2,243 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 68

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.

addressesnounUS /ˈæˈdresɪz/

plural of “address” — (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CastlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
castlesnounUS /ˈkæsəlz/

plural of “castle” — a large and stately mansion

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
constituentsnounUS /kənˈstɪtʃuːənts/

plural of “constituent” — an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dailyadverbUS /ˈdeɪli/

every day; without missing a day

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deliververbUS /dɪˈlɪvər/

deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DouglasnounUS /ˈdʌɡləs/

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 The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DublinnounUS /ˈdʌblɪn/

capital and largest city and major port of the Irish Republic

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
excitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exploitverbUS /ˈeksplɔɪt/

use or manipulate to one's advantage

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
findsnounUS /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortifyingverbUS /ˈfɔːrtɪfaɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “fortify” — make strong or stronger

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
front-door

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Pending verification
gentrynounUS /ˈdʒentri/

the most powerful members of a society

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
growsverbUS /ɡroʊz/

third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hangverbUS /hæŋ/

be suspended or hanging

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hangingnounUS /ˈhæŋɪŋ/

decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HousenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IrelandnounUS /ˈaɪərlənd/

a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IrishnounUS /ˈaɪrɪʃ/

people of Ireland or of Irish extraction

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
landedadjectiveUS /ˈlændəd/

owning or consisting of land or real estate

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LETTER-BAG

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P.

Pending verification
Lisfinny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Pending verification
LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MnounUS /em/

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.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MansionnounUS /ˈmænʃən/

(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MayornounUS /ˈmeɪər/

the head of a city government

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MembersnounUS /ˈmembərz/

plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PnounUS /piː/

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.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
P-ne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Pending verification
papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
regularadjectiveUS /ˈreɡjələr/

in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rootnounUS /ruːt/

(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ropesnounUS /roʊps/

plural of “rope” — a strong line

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
snounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SaturdaynounUS /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading +From the Lord Mayor of Dublin.+ _Mansion House, Dublin, Saturday_.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE LETTER-BAG OF TOBY, M.P.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The exploit of Mr. +Douglas P-ne+, M.P., of Lisfinny Castle, has taken root, and all the landed gentry among the Irish Members are fortifying themselves in their castles, and hanging themselves outside the front-door by ropes to deliver addresses to their constituents.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TOBYnounUS /ˈtoʊbi/

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.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading The regular thing now is to hang out our M.P.'s on the outer wall.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The news from Ireland, not all of which finds its way into your daily papers, grows in excitement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 by Various holds 621 sentences, grouped into 125 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.

What does chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 contain?

Chapter 1 holds 621 sentences of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887, unabridged, divided into 125 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 621 sentences, grouped into 125 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887?

Work through the 125 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 125 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887

Common questions about reading Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887?

Yes. All 621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39077 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #39077, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 take to read?

About 51 minutes of reading across 125 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 section by section

How to work through Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887

Words and structures a reader meets early in Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Letter-bag
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mayor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dublin
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mansion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Punch — Volume 93, December 3, 1887; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.