Chapter 1 of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?” Shakspere. In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
Chapter 1 of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading ““Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?””
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading ““Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?””
the largest city in Vermont; located in northwestern Vermont on Lake Champlain; site of the University of Vermont
From this reading “Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.”
plural of “cake” — a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading ““Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?””
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading ““Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?””
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.”
morally excellent
From this reading ““Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?””
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “In Two Volumes.”
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 “In Two Volumes.”
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.
a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
for the reason that
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
the largest city in Vermont; located in northwestern Vermont on Lake Champlain; site of the University of Vermont
From this reading Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
plural of “cake” — a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Vol. I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Two Volumes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
not any; not one
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading Shakspere.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In Two Volumes.
morally excellent
From this reading “Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vol. I.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading In Two Volumes.
Chapter 1 of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 by George Daniel holds 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 1 holds 40 sentences of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 by George Daniel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 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.
Common questions about reading Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 by George Daniel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46331 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46331, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 225 minutes of reading across 542 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1 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 Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
