Chapter 1 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME. _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s. 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT. FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.
Chapter 1 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading “See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.”
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “_Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.”
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).”
the words of something written
From this reading “See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.”
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.”
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 “FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.”
In this reading “UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.”
a typeface with thick heavy lines
In this reading “See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).”
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 _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.
fearless and daring
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
showing who or what does the action
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading FIRST AND SECOND SERIES.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
the words of something written
From this reading See https:// Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Post 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading 6d. each._ W. S. GILBERT.
in the company of; together with
From this reading UNIFORM WITH THE PRESENT VOLUME.
Chapter 1 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 388 sentences of Original Plays, Second Series, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12140 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59685 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59685, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Original Plays, Second Series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Original Plays, Second Series 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 Original Plays, Second Series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
