Chapter 1 of School-Room Humour is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of School-Room Humour is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SCHOOL-ROOM HUMOUR. DR. MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_. _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR. MACNAMARA, M.P.
Chapter 1 of School-Room Humour is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
plural of “anecdote” — short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
From this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
plural of “desire” — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “SCHOOL-ROOM HUMOUR.”
-ing form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
presiding officer of a school
From this reading “MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.”
plural of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
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.
In this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
In this reading “_He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.”
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.
in addition
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
plural of “anecdote” — short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
plural of “desire” — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DR.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading SCHOOL-ROOM HUMOUR.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading MACNAMARA, M.P.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
used to form the superlative
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
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 MACNAMARA, M.P.
-ing form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
precisely, exactly
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCHOOL-ROOM HUMOUR.
presiding officer of a school
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
plural of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
the act of using
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading MACNAMARA _desires to thank the Directors of the_ "SCHOOLMASTER" _for the right to use most of the stories which follow_.
belonging to which person
From this reading _He desires also to thank his old friends, the teachers up and down the country, whose anecdotes he is presuming to put into print._ BY DR.
Chapter 1 of School-Room Humour by T. J. (Thomas James) Macnamara holds 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 46 sentences of School-Room Humour, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of School-Room Humour by T. J. (Thomas James) Macnamara exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 School-Room Humour by T. J. (Thomas James) Macnamara on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1371 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40593 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40593, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 114 minutes of reading across 275 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through School-Room Humour section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of School-Room Humour 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 School-Room Humour, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
