Chapter 1 of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_. _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c. In a Letter to a Lady. Written by a Lady. _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
Chapter 1 of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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 man who is the lover of a man or woman
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading “AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.”
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading “AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.”
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit
activities associated with sexual intercourse
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “_Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.”
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.
In this reading “AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.”
In this reading “_Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.”
In this reading “AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.”
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 Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
a man who is the lover of a man or woman
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
terminate
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Written by a Lady.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading In a Letter to a Lady.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading In a Letter to a Lady.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
activities associated with sexual intercourse
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
term of address for a man
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN ESSAY In Defence of the _FEMALE SEX_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In a Letter to a Lady.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Pedant_, _A Squire_, _A Beau_, _A Vertuoso_, _A Poetaster_, _A City-Critick_, &c.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
at the time that
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Written by a Lady.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Since each is fond of his own ugly Face; Why shou’d you when we hold it break the Glass?_ Prol. to Sir _F. Flutter_.
Chapter 1 of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex by Judith, active Drake holds 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 1 holds 468 sentences of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex by Judith, active Drake exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 1 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 An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex by Judith, active Drake on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 929 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57596, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 77 minutes of reading across 186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex 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 An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
