Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"All my life." He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars. I was only to have blank a day. In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box. He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) is here in full — 443 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.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “I was only to have blank a day.”
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.”
past form of “conjure” — summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading “He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.”
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading “He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.”
small in range or scope
From this reading “In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.”
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.”
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading “In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.”
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 I was only to have blank a day.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
anew
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
(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 "All my life."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
past form of “conjure” — summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "All my life."
small in range or scope
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "All my life."
and nothing more
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading In his perturbation I believe he limited me to a daily box.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He dropped back into the chair again and mumbled something about cigars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
hard to endure
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was trying--and trying very badly--to conceal the emotions I had conjured up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was only to have blank a day.
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 443 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 2 holds 443 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.), unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2874 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19324 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19324, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 575 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (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 VI. (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 VI. (of X.), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
