Chapter 2 of Fanny's First Play is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Fanny's First Play is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FANNY. Thats what we call it at Cambridge. TROTTER. If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge. As it is, I blame my kittens.
Chapter 2 of Fanny's First Play is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “As it is, I blame my kittens.”
a university in England
From this reading “Thats what we call it at Cambridge.”
a trite or obvious remark
used as expletives
From this reading “If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.”
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading “FANNY.”
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading “As it is, I blame my kittens.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.”
foot of a pig or sheep especially one used as food
From this reading “TROTTER.”
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 If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As it is, I blame my kittens.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading As it is, I blame my kittens.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
a university in England
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
a trite or obvious remark
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
used as expletives
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading FANNY.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As it is, I blame my kittens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading As it is, I blame my kittens.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As it is, I blame my kittens.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
express in words
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
foot of a pig or sheep especially one used as food
From this reading TROTTER.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If it were not so obviously a stage _cliche_, I should say Damn Cambridge.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Thats what we call it at Cambridge.
Chapter 2 of Fanny's First Play by Bernard Shaw holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 445 sentences of Fanny's First Play, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Fanny's First Play by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 2 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 Fanny's First Play by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1786 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5698, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 148 minutes of reading across 358 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fanny's First Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Fanny's First Play 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 Fanny's First Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
