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Fifty "Bab" Ballads
Fifty "Bab" Ballads

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.
TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.
Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.
Then she whispered, To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”
There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Fifty "Bab" Ballads

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.
Line 2
TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.
Line 3
Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.
/ðen wiː let ɔːf ˈpeɪpər ˈkrækərz iːtʃ ʌv wɪtʃ kənˈteɪnd ə ˈmɑːtoʊ ənd ʃiː ˈlɪsənd waɪl aɪ red ðem tɪl hɜːr ˈmʌðər toʊld hɜːr nɑːt tuː/
Line 4
Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”
Line 5
There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

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.

baronets noun US /ˈberənəts/

plural of “baronet” — a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight

From this reading “There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.”

captains noun US /ˈkæptənz/

plural of “captain” — an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship

From this reading “There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.”

coronets noun US /ˈkɔːrəˈnets/

plural of “coronet” — a small crown; usually indicates a high rank but below that of sovereign

From this reading “There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.”

cousins noun US /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading “There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.”

crackers adjective US /ˈkrækərz/

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

From this reading “Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.”

dozens noun US /ˈdʌzənz/

a large number or amount

From this reading “There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.”

motto noun US /ˈmɑːtoʊ/

a favorite saying of a sect or political group

From this reading “Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.”

poetic adjective US /poʊˈetɪk/

of or relating to poets

From this reading “TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.”

All words in this reading · 82

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

ball-room

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

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

baronetsnounUS /ˈberənəts/

plural of “baronet” — a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

captainsnounUS /ˈkæptənz/

plural of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

coronetsnounUS /ˈkɔːrəˈnets/

plural of “coronet” — a small crown; usually indicates a high rank but below that of sovereign

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

cousinsnounUS /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

crackersadjectiveUS /ˈkrækərz/

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

dealingnounUS /ˈdiːlɪŋ/

method or manner of conduct in relation to others

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

distinguishedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

dozensnounUS /ˈdʌzənz/

a large number or amount

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

ELVIRA

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

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

I've

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

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

lightlyadverbUS /ˈlaɪtli/

without good reason

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

longeradverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡər/

for more time

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

militaryadjectiveUS /ˈmɪləteri/

of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

mottonounUS /ˈmɑːtoʊ/

a favorite saying of a sect or political group

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

MRnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

noblemen

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

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

papernounUS /ˈpeɪpər/

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

poeticadjectiveUS /poʊˈetɪk/

of or relating to poetry

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

PoetsnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/

plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

stopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

suppernounUS /ˈsʌpər/

a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

talkedverbUS /tɔːkt/

past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

talkingnounUS /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/

an exchange of ideas via conversation

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

TUPPER

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

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

walkingadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːkɪŋ/

close enough to be walked to

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins, There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto, And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

whisperedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪspərd/

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking; If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER, MR.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing, For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

Chapter 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

What does chapter 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads contain?

Chapter 1 holds 415 sentences of Fifty "Bab" Ballads, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 1 of Fifty "Bab" Ballads?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Fifty "Bab" Ballads

Common questions about reading Fifty "Bab" Ballads by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Fifty "Bab" Ballads?

Yes. All 1301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #757 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Fifty "Bab" Ballads is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #757, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Fifty "Bab" Ballads take to read?

About 108 minutes of reading across 261 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Fifty "Bab" Ballads section by section

How to work through Fifty "Bab" Ballads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of Fifty "Bab" Ballads to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Fifty "Bab" Ballads

Words and structures a reader meets early in Fifty "Bab" Ballads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pleasant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fifty "Bab" Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fifty "Bab" Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Party
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fifty "Bab" Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Taken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fifty "Bab" Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.