Chapter 5 of Scotch Wit and Humor is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Scotch Wit and Humor is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?" "No, sir," answered the beadle. "Most extraordinary! What are we to do? I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
Chapter 5 of Scotch Wit and Humor is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
From this reading “"No, sir," answered the beadle.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “"Most extraordinary!”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"”
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."”
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 “"Most extraordinary!”
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 I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "No, sir," answered the beadle.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are we to do?
a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
From this reading "No, sir," answered the beadle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What are we to do?
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading "Most extraordinary!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
used to form the superlative
From this reading "Most extraordinary!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir," answered the beadle.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir," answered the beadle.
carry out
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What are we to do?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading What are we to do?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are we to do?
at the time that
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
but in spite of that
From this reading When he returned, the minister inquired: "Has John come yet?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading I see no help for it, but you must take John's place yourself for a day."
Chapter 5 of Scotch Wit and Humor by W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 holds 419 sentences of Scotch Wit and Humor, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Scotch Wit and Humor by W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 5 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 Scotch Wit and Humor by W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3226 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 646 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scotch Wit and Humor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Scotch Wit and Humor 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 Scotch Wit and Humor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
