Chapter 2 of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed. Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often. III.i.355 (157,6) [_Speed. Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language. So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
Chapter 2 of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
someone who has supervisory duties at a summer camp
From this reading “So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."”
before any deductions
From this reading “Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.”
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading “Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.”
lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
From this reading “Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy who would not trust his wife
characterized by profanity or cursing
From this reading “So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."”
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading “Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading III.i.355 (157,6) [_Speed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading III.i.355 (157,6) [_Speed.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
someone who has supervisory duties at a summer camp
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
before any deductions
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
many times at short intervals
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy who would not trust his wife
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
characterized by profanity or cursing
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
move hurridly
From this reading III.i.351 (157,5) [_Speed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Item, she is too liberal_] _Liberal_, is licentious and gross in language.
precisely as stated
From this reading So in _Othello_, "Is he not a profane and very _liberal_ counsellor."
(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 Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Item, she will often praise her liquor_] That is, shew how well she likes it by drinking often.
Chapter 2 of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies by Samuel Johnson holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 2 holds 399 sentences of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies by Samuel Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 2 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 Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies by Samuel Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2820 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7780 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7780, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 235 minutes of reading across 564 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies 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 Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
