Chapter 3 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Flor._ (_drawing sword_). I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry! Thou lovest her? _Thou_ lovest her? Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
Chapter 3 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!”
blasphemous language (expressing disrespect for God or for something sacred)
From this reading “Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?”
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading “I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!”
an old word for “no”
From this reading “I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!”
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action
From this reading “I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!”
wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?”
an old word for “yes”
From this reading “I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!”
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.
avoid (one's assigned duties)
In this reading “Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?”
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.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
blasphemous language (expressing disrespect for God or for something sacred)
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
wicked and cruel behavior
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading _Flor._ (_drawing sword_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Flor._ (_drawing sword_).
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Thou lovest her?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou lovest her?
an old word for “no”
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
not any; not one
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading _Flor._ (_drawing sword_).
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
in or at that place or location
From this reading Is there no blasphemy That devils shrink from?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou lovest her?
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
an old word for “yes”
From this reading I needed no assurance, yea or nay, That some foul planning of thy leper-heart Had worked this devilry!
Chapter 3 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 holds 407 sentences of Original Plays, Second Series, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 3 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.
