Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?" "Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly. "What's that! Just look where my ball is! I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
plural of “baffle” — a flat plate that controls or directs the flow of fluid or energy
From this reading “"Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"”
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “Just look where my ball is!”
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “"Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"”
without care or concern
From this reading “"Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.”
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading “I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.”
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading “"Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"”
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.”
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 "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
plural of “baffle” — a flat plate that controls or directs the flow of fluid or energy
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Just look where my ball is!
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
without care or concern
From this reading "Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
travel across or pass over
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just look where my ball is!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
and nothing more
From this reading Just look where my ball is!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Just look where my ball is!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.
one of four equal parts
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "Oh, driv the cross!" rejoined I, carelessly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading I do believe in my soul its center is a full quarter of an inch from the cross.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's that!
in or at the place that
From this reading Just look where my ball is!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, good Lord a'mighty!" said Billy, with a look that baffles all description, "an't you _driv_ the cross?"
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.), unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 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 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 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.
Yes. All 2901 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 241 minutes of reading across 581 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) 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 Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
