Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X) is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X) is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily. Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do. "Of course, Mr. Putnam," Jimmy said. "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it. No, sir.
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X) is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.”
a reserve of money set aside for some purpose
From this reading “Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.”
to a considerable degree
From this reading “Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “"Of course, Mr. Putnam," Jimmy said.”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “"But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.”
plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading “Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.”
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading “Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.”
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 Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Putnam," Jimmy said.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
a reserve of money set aside for some purpose
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
to a considerable degree
From this reading Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Putnam," Jimmy said.
the force of workers available
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.
not any; not one
From this reading No, sir.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Putnam chuckled heavily.
plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Putnam," Jimmy said.
term of address for a man
From this reading No, sir.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But the girls nowadays are different, and a fel--" "Not a bit of it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Mr. Putnam was possessed of a striking fund of reminiscences of how young men used to do.
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X), unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 IX (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2698 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 540 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IX (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 IX (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 IX (of X), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
