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The Art of Amusing
The Art of Amusing

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Art of Amusing is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Frank Bellew • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Art of Amusing
Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.
_Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.
An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.
*** Price $1.50.
The Habits of Good Society.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Art of Amusing

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Art of Amusing is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.
/θriː ˈvæljəbəl bʊks/
Line 2
_Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.
Line 3
An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.
Line 4
*** Price $1.50.
Line 5
The Habits of Good Society.
/ðə ˈhæbəts ʌv ɡʊd səˈsaɪəti/

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.

admirably adverb US /ˈædmərəbli/

in an admirable manner

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
conceived verb US /kənˈsiːvd/

past form of “conceive” — have the idea for

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
elegantly adverb US /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading “_Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
entertaining adjective US /ˌentərˈteɪnɪŋ/

agreeably diverting

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
instructive adjective US /ˌɪnˈstrʌktɪv/

serving to instruct or enlighten or inform

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listener noun US /ˈlɪsənər/

someone who listens attentively

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suggestions noun US /səˈdʒestʃənz/

plural of “suggestion” — an idea that is suggested

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
talker noun US /ˈtɔːkər/

someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

From this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

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.

good talker adjective + noun

In this reading “An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.”

232 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 43

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.

1.50

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

From this reading *** Price $1.50.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
admirablyadverbUS /ˈædmərəbli/

in an admirable manner

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
advantagenounUS /ædˈvæntɪdʒ/

the quality of having a superior or more favorable position

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BeautifullyadverbUS /ˈbjuːtəfli/

in a beautiful manner

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BOOKSnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.

Velmora curated lexicon
boundadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
conceivedverbUS /kənˈsiːvd/

past form of “conceive” — have the idea for

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
desiresnounUS /dɪˈzaɪərz/

plural of “desire” — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DirectionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
elegantlyadverbUS /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
entertainingadjectiveUS /ˌentərˈteɪnɪŋ/

agreeably diverting

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HabitsnounUS /ˈhæbəts/

plural of “habit” — an established custom

From this reading The Habits of Good Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
instructiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌktɪv/

serving to instruct or enlighten or inform

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listenernounUS /ˈlɪsənər/

someone who listens attentively

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PricenounUS /praɪs/

the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)

From this reading *** Price $1.50.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
printedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Self-Culture

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

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

Pending verification
sensibleadjectiveUS /ˈsensəbəl/

showing reason or sound judgment

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
societynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suggestionsnounUS /səˈdʒestʃənz/

plural of “suggestion” — an idea that is suggested

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
talkernounUS /ˈtɔːkər/

someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

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 Habits of Good Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THREEnounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
VALUABLEadjectiveUS /ˈvæljəbəl/

having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange

From this reading THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wishesnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪz/

plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire

From this reading An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._ With Directions for Self-Culture.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of The Art of Amusing by Frank Bellew holds 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 The Art of Amusing contain?

Chapter 1 holds 37 sentences of The Art of Amusing, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Art of Amusing by Frank Bellew exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 The Art of Amusing?

Work through the 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 8 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 The Art of Amusing

Common questions about reading The Art of Amusing by Frank Bellew on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Art of Amusing?

Yes. All 2235 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40309 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Art of Amusing is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40309, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Art of Amusing take to read?

About 186 minutes of reading across 447 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Art of Amusing section by section

How to work through The Art of Amusing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Art of Amusing 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 The Art of Amusing

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Art of Amusing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art of Amusing; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valuable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art of Amusing; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Books
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art of Amusing; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beautifully
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art of Amusing; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.