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Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of
Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of
Context Illustration Reading 1/5 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LONDON, March 2, O. S.
1752.
MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?
Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:
Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
LONDON, March 2, O. S.
Line 2
1752.
Line 3
MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?
Line 4
Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:
Line 5
Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

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.

announces verb US /əˈnaʊnsɪz/

third-person singular of “announce” — make known; make an announcement

From this reading “Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
canto noun US /ˈkæntoʊ/

the highest part (usually the melody) in a piece of choral music

From this reading “Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Cavalier noun US /ˌkævəˈlɪr/

a gallant or courtly gentleman

From this reading “Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Donne noun US /dʌn/

English clergyman and metaphysical poet celebrated as a preacher (1572-1631)

From this reading “Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
extravagant adjective US /ekˈstrævəɡənt/

unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

From this reading “Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ingenious adjective US /ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

Clever, original, and remarkably inventive in design and execution.

From this reading “Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:”

Velmora curated lexicon
magicians noun US /məˈdʒɪʃənz/

plural of “magician” — someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience

From this reading “Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Whereabouts noun US /ˈwerəbaʊts/

the general location where something is

From this reading “MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 52

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.

1752

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

From this reading 1752.

Pending verification
2

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

From this reading LONDON, March 2, O. S.

Pending verification
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amori

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
announcesverbUS /əˈnaʊnsɪz/

third-person singular of “announce” — make known; make an announcement

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Ariosto

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

Pending verification
beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cantonounUS /ˈkæntoʊ/

the highest part (usually the melody) in a piece of choral music

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CavaliernounUS /ˌkævəˈlɪr/

a gallant or courtly gentleman

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contexture

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

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Pending verification
cortesie

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DonnenounUS /dʌn/

English clergyman and metaphysical poet celebrated as a preacher (1572-1631)

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
extravagantadjectiveUS /ekˈstrævəɡənt/

unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FRIENDnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gli

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
impreso

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ingeniousadjectiveUS /ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

Clever, original, and remarkably inventive in design and execution.

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora curated lexicon
ionounUS /ˈaɪoʊ/

(Greek mythology) a maiden seduced by Zeus; when Hera was about to discover them together Zeus turned her into a white heifer

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knights-errant

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

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Pending verification
l'arme

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
l'audaci

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

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

Pending verification
LenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading Le Donne, I Cavalier, l'arme, gli amori, Le cortesie, l'audaci impreso io canto.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading LONDON, March 2, O. S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
magiciansnounUS /məˈdʒɪʃənz/

plural of “magician” — someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading LONDON, March 2, O. S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading LONDON, March 2, O. S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
poemnounUS /ˈpoʊəm/

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading LONDON, March 2, O. S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seriousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriəs/

concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
variousadjectiveUS /ˈveriəs/

of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhereaboutsnounUS /ˈwerəbaʊts/

the general location where something is

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Or have you gone through that most ingenious contexture of truth and lies, of serious and extravagant, of knights-errant, magicians, and all that various matter which he announces in the beginning of his poem:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: Whereabouts are you in Ariosto?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield holds 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of contain?

Chapter 7 holds 29 sentences of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 7 of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of?

Work through the 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 6 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 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of

Common questions about reading Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of?

Yes. All 1232 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3356, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of take to read?

About 102 minutes of reading across 247 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of

Words and structures a reader meets early in Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
January
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Friend
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Laziness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1752 On the Fine Art of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.