Chapter 2 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JONES--What's that? SMITH--The Easter bonnet. * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles." "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?" "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
Chapter 2 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 hat tied under the chin
From this reading “SMITH--The Easter bonnet.”
a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
From this reading “SMITH--The Easter bonnet.”
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading “"That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"”
free from external control and constraint
From this reading “* * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."”
in a not unlawful manner
From this reading “"That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"”
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading “* * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."”
plural of “maker” — a person who makes things
From this reading “* * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."”
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading “* * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."”
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 you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
for the reason that
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
a hat tied under the chin
From this reading SMITH--The Easter bonnet.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
From this reading SMITH--The Easter bonnet.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
free from external control and constraint
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
in a not unlawful manner
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading JONES--What's that?
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
plural of “maker” — a person who makes things
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
and nothing more
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading SMITH--The Easter bonnet.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading JONES--What's that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SMITH--The Easter bonnet.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
precisely as stated
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading * * * * * "In one way the clock makers are independent of labor troubles."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JONES--What's that?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "That's very fortunate, isn't it," said his wife innocently, "but how?"
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading "Simply because in clock works the hands never strike."
Chapter 2 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown holds 420 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 2 holds 420 sentences of The New Pun Book, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 2 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 New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22495 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22495, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 170 minutes of reading across 409 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The New Pun Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The New Pun Book 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 New Pun Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
