Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 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 X (of X) is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley? Not in the least; he survived to do worse things. A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock. He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock. The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.”
a state in the Rocky Mountains
From this reading “A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.”
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading “A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.”
hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading “The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.”
plural of “specimen” — an example regarded as typical of its class
From this reading “He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.”
arranged in a stack
From this reading “The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.”
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading “Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?”
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading “Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.”
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 A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
a state in the Rocky Mountains
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
a large number or amount
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
plural of “specimen” — an example regarded as typical of its class
From this reading He brought along as specimens A lot of mining rock.
arranged in a stack
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Did it serve to subdue Uncle Bentley?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A SHINING MARK BY IRONQUILL A man came here from Idaho, With lots of mining stock.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading Not in the least; he survived to do worse things.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading The stock was worth a cent a pound If stacked up in a pile.
Chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder holds 316 sentences, grouped into 64 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 316 sentences of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X), unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 316 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 X (of X) by Marshall P. (Marshall Pinckney) [Editor] Wilder on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2936 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24434 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24434, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 244 minutes of reading across 588 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (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 X (of X), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
