Chapter 4 of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake. SPENSER. Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no? Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily? What observation mad'st thou in this case.
Chapter 4 of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
in an austere fashion
From this reading “Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?”
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading “What observation mad'st thou in this case.”
to become aware of through the senses
From this reading “Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?”
appeal or request earnestly
From this reading “Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?”
English poet who wrote an allegorical romance celebrating Elizabeth I in the Spenserian stanza (1552-1599)
From this reading “SPENSER.”
an old word for “yes”
From this reading “Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
in an austere fashion
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
an occurrence of something
From this reading What observation mad'st thou in this case.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
the organ of sight
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What observation mad'st thou in this case.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
in a joyous manner
From this reading Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
not any; not one
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading What observation mad'st thou in this case.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?
to become aware of through the senses
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
appeal or request earnestly
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading Look'd he, or red, or pale, or sad, or merrily?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
English poet who wrote an allegorical romance celebrating Elizabeth I in the Spenserian stanza (1552-1599)
From this reading SPENSER.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What observation mad'st thou in this case.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What observation mad'st thou in this case.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading They ben so well thewed and so wise Whatever that good old man bespake.
an old word for “yes”
From this reading Might'st thou perceive austerely in his eye That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
Chapter 4 of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 by Ellen Wallace holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 4 holds 103 sentences of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 by Ellen Wallace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 4 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 Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 by Ellen Wallace on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2628 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40053 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40053, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 526 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3 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 Margaret Capel: A Novel, Vol. 2 of 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
