Chapter 4 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed! _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table. _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life! _Mag._ (_aside_). What’s he glowerin’ at?
Chapter 4 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 398 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.
on or to one side
a small house with a single story
From this reading “_Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!”
to come or go into
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading “_Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!”
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading “_Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!”
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
make a sweeping movement
From this reading “_Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “_Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.”
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.
able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise
In this reading “_Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.”
as an example
In this reading “_Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!”
In this reading “_Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
on or to one side
From this reading _Mag._ (_aside_).
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading What’s he glowerin’ at?
a flat bread made of oat or barley flour; common in New England and Scotland
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
a small house with a single story
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
to come or go into
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
at any time
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What’s he glowerin’ at?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
and nothing more
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
to a great degree or extent
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
make a sweeping movement
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
term of address for a man
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
precisely as stated
From this reading _Enter MAGGIE from cottage: he is much fascinated._ This one, for example, is very beautiful indeed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What’s he glowerin’ at?
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading _Ch._ This is one of the loveliest women I ever met in the whole course of my life!
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mag._ If ye’ll just walk in, sir, ye’ll find a bannock and a pan o’ parritch waitin’ for ye on the table.
Chapter 4 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 398 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 4 holds 398 sentences of Original Plays, Second Series, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 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 4 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.
