Chapter 5 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?" "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash." * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?" "Room! Mercy me, I should think not.
Chapter 5 of The New Pun Book is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “* * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “"I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."”
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading “"I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."”
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “* * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."”
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “* * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “"I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."”
the general location where something is
From this reading “* * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"”
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 * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
any thing at all
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
come to pass
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
a female domestic
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
a polite name for any woman
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
a woman of refinement
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mercy me, I should think not.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Mercy me, I should think not.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading * * * * * "Have you much room in your new flat?"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Mercy me, I should think not.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
clean with some chemical process
From this reading "I'm not sure, ma'am," replied the careful domestic, "but I think they are in the wash."
the general location where something is
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading * * * * * A lady was looking for her husband and inquired anxiously of a housemaid, "Do you happen to know anything of your master's whereabouts?"
Chapter 5 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown holds 401 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 5 holds 401 sentences of The New Pun Book, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The New Pun Book by Thomas A.[Compiler] Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 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 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.
