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A Bold Stroke for a Husband
A Bold Stroke for a Husband

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/95 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.
_Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.
_Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?
_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!
How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Bold Stroke for a Husband

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/95 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.
Line 2
_Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.
Line 3
_Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?
Line 4
_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!
Line 5
How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

Learner Dictionary

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.

balcony noun US /ˈbælkəni/

an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium

From this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

charming adjective US /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading “_Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?”

Donna noun US /ˈdɑːnə/

an Italian woman of rank

From this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

intelligence noun US /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəns/

the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

From this reading “_Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?”

ma'am noun US /mæm/

a woman of refinement

From this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

Min noun US /mɪn/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

overlooks noun US /ˈoʊvərlʊks/

plural of “overlook” — a high place affording a good view

From this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

previous adjective US /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

last night adjective + noun

In this reading “_Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

balconynounUS /ˈbælkəni/

an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

charmingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

Cæsar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

CÆSAR'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.

DONnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.

DonnanounUS /ˈdɑːnə/

an Italian woman of rank

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

EnterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading _Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

IInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

intelligencenounUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəns/

the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

ma'amnounUS /mæm/

a woman of refinement

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

Marcella

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

marriagenounUS /ˈmerɪdʒ/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

MinnounUS /mɪn/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

MINETTE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

Oliv

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

OLIVIA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.

overlooksnounUS /ˈoʊvərlʊks/

plural of “overlook” — a high place affording a good view

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

payverbUS /peɪ/

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading _Enter_ OLIVIA _and_ MINETTE, R.

SCENEnounUS /siːn/

the place where some action occurs

From this reading SCENE II.--DON CÆSAR'S.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

Vasquez's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading _Oliv._ Well, here we are in private--what is this charming intelligence of which thou art so full this morning?

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading _Min._ Why, ma'am, as I was in the balcony that overlooks Don Vasquez's garden, Donna Marcella told me, that Don Cæsar had last night been to pay her a visit previous to their marriage, and-- _Oliv._ Their marriage!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading How can you give me the intelligence with such a look of joy?

Chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley holds 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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.

What does chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband contain?

Chapter 3 holds 477 sentences of A Bold Stroke for a Husband, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of A Bold Stroke for a Husband?

Work through the 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 96 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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.

Questions about reading A Bold Stroke for a Husband

Common questions about reading A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Bold Stroke for a Husband?

Yes. All 1422 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47379 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Bold Stroke for a Husband is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47379, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Bold Stroke for a Husband take to read?

About 118 minutes of reading across 285 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Bold Stroke for a Husband

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Bold Stroke for a Husband, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Clayton's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Bold Stroke for a Husband; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Bold Stroke for a Husband; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cowley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Bold Stroke for a Husband; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Theatre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Bold Stroke for a Husband; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.