Chapter 1 of Punch's Almanack for 1890 is here in full — 364 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Punch's Almanack for 1890 is here in full — 364 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD. "MR. PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind." "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
Chapter 1 of Punch's Almanack for 1890 is here in full — 364 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading “PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “"Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.”
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.”
a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom
From this reading “"Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.”
a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area
From this reading “PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.”
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading “PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
being nine more than eighty
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.
a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.
a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area
From this reading PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
which person or people
From this reading PUNCH," said poor old Eighty-Nine, who was growing feebler and feebler, "I am uneasy in my mind."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading PUNCH'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Didn't know you had one," replied the Sage.
Chapter 1 of Punch's Almanack for 1890 by Various holds 364 sentences, grouped into 73 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 364 sentences of Punch's Almanack for 1890, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Punch's Almanack for 1890 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 364 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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's Almanack for 1890 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 770 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45710 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45710, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 64 minutes of reading across 154 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Punch's Almanack for 1890 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Punch's Almanack for 1890 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's Almanack for 1890, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
