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The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Into something rich and strange."
The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.
The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.
In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.
Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.
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 Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Into something rich and strange."
/ˈɪntuː ˈsʌmθɪŋ rɪtʃ ənd streɪndʒ/
Line 2
The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.
Line 3
The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.
Line 4
In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.
/ɪn ðə ˈbɜːrdən ənd hiːt ʌv ðə deɪ juː hiːr ðə ˈrʌslɪŋ ʌv ˈsʌmər ˈʃaʊərz ənd ðə ˈwɪspərɪŋ ʌv ˈsʌmər wɪndz/
Line 5
Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.
/ˈevriθɪŋ ɪz ˈlɪftəd ʌp frʌm ðə pleɪn ʌv ˈleɪbər tuː ðə pleɪn ʌv lʌv ənd ə ˈɡlɔːri spænz jɔːr laɪf/

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.

carrots noun US /ˈkærəts/

plural of “carrot” — deep orange edible root of the cultivated carrot plant

From this reading “The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.”

orchards noun US /ˈɔːrtʃərdz/

plural of “orchard” — garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth

From this reading “The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.”

plane noun US /pleɪn/

an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets

From this reading “Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.”

plucking verb US /ˈplʌkɪŋ/

-ing form of “pluck” — pull or pull out sharply

From this reading “The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.”

showers noun US /ˈʃaʊərz/

plural of “shower” — a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you

From this reading “In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.”

spans noun US /spænz/

plural of “span” — the complete duration of something

From this reading “Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.”

spices noun US /ˈspaɪsəz/

plural of “spice” — aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative

From this reading “The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.”

violets noun US /ˈvaɪələts/

plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers

From this reading “The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Into something rich and strange."

awaking

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

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

bedsnounUS /bedz/

plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

burdennounUS /ˈbɜːrdən/

an onerous or difficult concern

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

carrotsnounUS /ˈkærəts/

plural of “carrot” — deep orange edible root of the cultivated carrot plant

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

dailyadverbUS /ˈdeɪli/

every day; without missing a day

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

dewnounUS /duː/

water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

EverythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

glorynounUS /ˈɡlɔːri/

a state of high honor

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

heatnounUS /hiːt/

a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

homelyadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmli/

lacking in physical beauty or proportion

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

household-ways

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

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

IntoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading "Into something rich and strange."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

labornounUS /ˈleɪbər/

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

leadverbUS /led/

take somebody somewhere

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

orchardsnounUS /ˈɔːrtʃərdz/

plural of “orchard” — garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

parsnips

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

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

planenounUS /pleɪn/

an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

pluckingverbUS /ˈplʌkɪŋ/

-ing form of “pluck” — pull or pull out sharply

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

pomegranates

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

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading "Into something rich and strange."

rustlingnounUS /ˈrʌslɪŋ/

the stealing of cattle

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

showersnounUS /ˈʃaʊərz/

plural of “shower” — a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading "Into something rich and strange."

spansnounUS /spænz/

plural of “span” — the complete duration of something

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

spicesnounUS /ˈspaɪsəz/

plural of “spice” — aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading "Into something rich and strange."

summernounUS /ˈsʌmər/

the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The homely household-ways lead through beds of spices and orchards of pomegranates.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

toilverbUS /tɔɪl/

work hard

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Everything is lifted up from the plane of labor to the plane of love, and a glory spans your life.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

violetsnounUS /ˈvaɪələts/

plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

whisperingnounUS /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/

a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

windsnounUS /wɪndz/

plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading In the burden and heat of the day you hear the rustling of summer showers and the whispering of summer winds.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The daily toil among your parsnips and carrots is plucking May violets with the dew upon them to meet the eyes you love upon their first awaking.

Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) contain?

Chapter 2 holds 383 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.), unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)?

Work through the 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 77 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 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)

Common questions about reading The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)?

Yes. All 2901 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) take to read?

About 241 minutes of reading across 581 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) section by section

How to work through The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) 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 Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wagnalls
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Attorney
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.