Chapter 3 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer. Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood. He pretended to believe you. He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.” “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
Chapter 3 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed; can be baked or braised
From this reading ““You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.””
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading “Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.”
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading “He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.””
someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else
From this reading ““You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.””
a false statement
From this reading “Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.”
an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction
From this reading “Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.”
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
third-person singular of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.”
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.
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 He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He pretended to believe you.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
the lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed; can be baked or braised
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
any of various large European beetles destructive to vegetation as both larvae and adult
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
to an extreme degree
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
a false statement
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He pretended to believe you.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
third-person singular of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading He pretended to believe you.
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I should call him an exceedingly polite little cockchafer.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “You came as the emissary of the carp,” she said, “and now you stay to defend the character of their rival.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hypocrisy is the compliment courtesy owes to falsehood.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would not have the air of doubting a lady’s word.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He pretended to believe you.
Chapter 3 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 holds 407 sentences of Comedies and Errors, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 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.
Common questions about reading Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5726 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comedies and Errors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Comedies and Errors 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 Comedies and Errors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
