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A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12
Context Illustration Reading 1/77 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ACT V.
MATILDA, THEODORE.
MAT.
I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.
I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/77 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ACT V.
/ækt viː/
Line 2
MATILDA, THEODORE.
Line 3
MAT.
/mæt/
Line 4
I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.
Line 5
I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

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.

courtesy noun US /ˈkɜːrtəsi/

a courteous or respectful or considerate act

From this reading “I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.”

duty noun US /ˈduːti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading “I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.”

mat noun US /mæt/

a thick flat pad used as a floor covering

From this reading “MAT.”

privately adverb US /ˈpraɪvətli/

kept private or confined to those intimately concerned

From this reading “I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.”

refuse verb US /rəˈfjuːz/

show unwillingness towards

From this reading “I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.”

uncle's noun US /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading “I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.”

visits noun US /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading “I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.”

welcome verb US /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

From this reading “I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.”

All words in this reading · 36

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.

ACTverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading ACT V.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

courtesynounUS /ˈkɜːrtəsi/

a courteous or respectful or considerate act

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

I'll

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

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

liv'd

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

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

MATnounUS /mæt/

a thick flat pad used as a floor covering

From this reading MAT.

MATILDA

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

From this reading MATILDA, THEODORE.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

privatelyadverbUS /ˈpraɪvətli/

kept private or confined to those intimately concerned

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

refuseverbUS /rəˈfjuːz/

show unwillingness towards

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

THEODORE

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

From this reading MATILDA, THEODORE.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

uncle'snounUS /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading I'll not refuse my uncle's courtesy, But go and see his house.

VnounUS /viː/

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading ACT V.

visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

welcomeverbUS /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading I should before Have done that duty to him, but I thought My visits were not welcome, since he liv'd So close and privately.

Chapter 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 by Robert Dodsley holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 contain?

Chapter 5 holds 388 sentences of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 by Robert Dodsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 5 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12?

Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 78 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12

Common questions about reading A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 by Robert Dodsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12?

Yes. All 13539 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46791 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #46791, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 section by section

How to work through A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Select
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Collection
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
English
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Plays
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.