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My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's
My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A SONG.
Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”
Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.
BETSEY BOBBET.
Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A SONG.
/ə sɔːŋ/
Line 2
Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”
Line 3
Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.
Line 4
BETSEY BOBBET.
Line 5
Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

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.

bashful adjective US /ˈbæʃfəl/

self-consciously timid

From this reading “Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.”

females noun US /ˈfiːmeɪlz/

plural of “female” — an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes

From this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

madly adverb US /ˈmædli/

in an uncontrolled manner

From this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

minded adjective US /ˈmaɪndəd/

(used in combination) mentally oriented toward something specified

From this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

modestly adverb US /ˈmɑːdəstli/

with modesty; in a modest manner

From this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

oblige verb US /əˈblaɪdʒ/

force somebody to do something

From this reading “Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.”

retiring adjective US /rɪˈtaɪrɪŋ/

not arrogant or presuming

From this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

warble verb US /ˈwɔːrbəl/

sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below

From this reading “Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

insist on verb + particle

In this reading “Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.””

All words in this reading · 69

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 A SONG.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

bashfuladjectiveUS /ˈbæʃfəl/

self-consciously timid

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

BETSEY

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

From this reading BETSEY BOBBET.

BOBBET

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

From this reading BETSEY BOBBET.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

ComposedadjectiveUS /kəmˈpoʊzd/

serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

delicateadjectiveUS /ˈdeləkət/

exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

deth

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

dlenoun

a chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40; characterized by an eruption of red lesions over the cheeks and bridge of the nose

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

femalesnounUS /ˈfiːmeɪlz/

plural of “female” — an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

fiah

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

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

gloriousadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

having or deserving or conferring glory

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

herspronounUS /hərz/

the one or ones belonging to her

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

indecentlyadverb

in an indecent manner

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

insistverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɪst/

be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

kinnounUS /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

liah

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

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

loudlyadverbUS /ˈlaʊdli/

with relatively high volume

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

madlyadverbUS /ˈmædli/

in an uncontrolled manner

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

mindedadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪndəd/

(used in combination) mentally oriented toward something specified

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

modestadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdəst/

marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

modestlyadverbUS /ˈmɑːdəstli/

with modesty; in a modest manner

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

murmer

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

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

obligeverbUS /əˈblaɪdʒ/

force somebody to do something

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

retiringadjectiveUS /rɪˈtaɪrɪŋ/

not arrogant or presuming

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

rightsnounUS /raɪts/

plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

sacredadjectiveUS /ˈseɪkrəd/

concerned with religion or religious purposes

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

scornnounUS /skɔːrn/

lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

sexnounUS /seks/

activities associated with sexual intercourse

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

sisteh

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

SONGnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading A SONG.

speah

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

timidlyadverbUS /ˈtɪmədli/

in a shy or timid or bashful manner

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

tunenounUS /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

warbleverbUS /ˈwɔːrbəl/

sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Composed not for the strong minded females, who madly and indecently insist on rights, but for the retiring and delicate minded of the sex, who modestly murmer, “we will not have any rights, we scorn them.”

wimmen

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

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

wimmen's

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

From this reading Will some modest and bashful sisteh set it to music, that we may timidly, but loudly warble it; and oblige, hers ’till deth, in the glorious cause of wimmen’s only true speah.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Not for strong minded wimmen, Do I now tune up my liah; Oh, not for them would I kin- dle up the sacred fiah.

Chapter 5 of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's by Marietta Holley holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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.

What does chapter 5 of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's contain?

Chapter 5 holds 402 sentences of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's by Marietta Holley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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.

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Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 81 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.

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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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #55594, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 331 minutes of reading across 796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's

Words and structures a reader meets early in My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Obvious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Printer
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Punctuation
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