Chapter 12 of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.' If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun. "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer. "'What is the amount?' said I. "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
Chapter 12 of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 quantity of money
From this reading “"'What is the amount?' said I.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “"'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “"'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “"'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.”
plural of “shilling” — the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “"'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one
From this reading “"'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.”
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 “"'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.”
In this reading “"I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'”
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
a quantity of money
From this reading "'What is the amount?' said I.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
an English coin worth half a penny
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
ten 10s
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
immediately past
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
a coin worth nine pennies
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
except for; apart from
From this reading If it had been to save my life, I could never check my fun.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
being two more than seventy
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
plural of “shilling” — the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
term of address for a man
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one
From this reading "'Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pounds, thirteen shillings, and ninepence halfpenny.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I could not help saying, 'He is gone to his last account now, sir.'
a craftsman who upholsters furniture
From this reading "'Lord, how like Mr. Robert that is!' said the upholsterer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "'What is the amount?' said I.
Chapter 12 of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns by Theodore Edward Hook holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 12 holds 379 sentences of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns by Theodore Edward Hook exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 12 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 The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns by Theodore Edward Hook on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6438 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 536 minutes of reading across 1288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns 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 The Choice Humorous Works, Ludicrous Adventures, Bons Mots, Puns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
