Chapter 4 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop. * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York." MAY--"Perfume? Why I smell gasoline." IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
Chapter 4 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."”
kill (animals) usually for food consumption
From this reading “* * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.”
plural of “concert” — a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging
From this reading “* * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."”
obtain
From this reading “* * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.”
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading “Why I smell gasoline."”
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading “* * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."”
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading “* * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."”
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading “Why I smell gasoline."”
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 * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
kill (animals) usually for food consumption
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
plural of “concert” — a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
dearly loved
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
obtain
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading Why I smell gasoline."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Why I smell gasoline."
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
march in a procession
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading MAY--"Perfume?
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
Identical; not different.
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
do one's shopping
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading Why I smell gasoline."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * How to gain flesh--buy out a butcher shop.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why I smell gasoline."
an affirmative
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading * * * * * IDA--"Yes, dear, this is one of those 'perfume' concerts the same as they have in New York."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading IDA--"Well, you see, they are playing the 'Automobile March' now."
Chapter 4 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 405 sentences of The New Pun Book, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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.
