Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man! Such a backache! So cold! Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more. The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.”
an ache localized in the back
From this reading “Such a backache!”
any strong feeling
From this reading “Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.”
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading “The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.”
inflected form of “overcome” — win a victory over
From this reading “Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.”
past form of “wail” — emit long loud cries
From this reading “"Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!”
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 "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
an ache localized in the back
From this reading Such a backache!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading So cold!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
any strong feeling
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
the act of grasping
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
not any; not one
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
on one occasion
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
inflected form of “overcome” — win a victory over
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
express in words
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Mrs. Bowser, if I should d-die, I hope--" Emotion overcame Mr. Bowser, and he could say no more.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So cold!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a backache!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
precisely as stated
From this reading The doctor came and pronounced it a second attack of the grip, but a very mild one.
past form of “wail” — emit long loud cries
From this reading "Get the doctor at once," wailed Mr. Bowser, "or I'm a dead man!
Chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 356 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.), unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 VII. (of X.) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2321 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19325 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19325, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 465 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (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 VII. (of X.), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
