Chapter 7 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked. “Try it and see.” “Ce n’est pas la peine. It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.” “She said she was an old maid.”
Chapter 7 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 406 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.
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.””
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.””
a female domestic
From this reading ““She said she was an old maid.””
take in marriage
From this reading ““If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.””
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading ““Ce n’est pas la peine.”
continue talking
From this reading ““If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.”
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading ““If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.”
an elderly unmarried woman
In this reading ““She said she was an old maid.””
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 It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “She said she was an old maid.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Try it and see.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
a ductile grey metallic element of the lanthanide series; used in lighter flints; the most abundant of the rare-earth group
From this reading “Ce n’est pas la peine.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Try it and see.”
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading “Ce n’est pas la peine.
a female domestic
From this reading “She said she was an old maid.”
take in marriage
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ce n’est pas la peine.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “She said she was an old maid.”
on one occasion
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading “Ce n’est pas la peine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ce n’est pas la peine.
continue talking
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “She said she was an old maid.”
express in words
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Try it and see.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “Try it and see.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She said she was an old maid.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It occasionally happens that a woman’s already got a husband.”
an affirmative
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If I say yes, will you at once proceed to ask me to marry you?” she asked.
Chapter 7 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland holds 406 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 7 holds 406 sentences of Comedies and Errors, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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 7 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.
