Chapter 5 of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOLLAND. [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you. JACK STRAW. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here. I will rejoin you immediately.
Chapter 5 of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading “[_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.”
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading “HOLLAND.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “I will rejoin you immediately.”
contrary to plan or expectation
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “[_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.”
join again
From this reading “I will rejoin you immediately.”
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading “JACK STRAW.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “[_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.”
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 “[_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.”
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 [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here.
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading HOLLAND.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading I will rejoin you immediately.
contrary to plan or expectation
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
a small worthless amount
From this reading JACK STRAW.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
join again
From this reading I will rejoin you immediately.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading JACK STRAW.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will rejoin you immediately.
in the company of; together with
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [_Ironically._] I ventured to ask if I might have a few minutes’ private conversation with you.
Chapter 5 of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 5 holds 425 sentences of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 5 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 Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts 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 Jack Straw: A Farce in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
