Chapter 23 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas! I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right. _King._ Why not, my boy? It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve. _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
Chapter 23 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading “_Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.”
being one more than ten
From this reading “It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.”
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “_Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.”
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading “_Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading “It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.”
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 “It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.”
In this reading “_Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!”
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 to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
confined by bonds
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
a youthful male person
From this reading _King._ Why not, my boy?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
being one more than ten
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading _King._ Why not, my boy?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _King._ Why not, my boy?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _King._ Why not, my boy?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
and nothing more
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
express in words
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading _Sam._ True, and until then you are bound to protect our interests.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
up to a particular time
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It’s only half-past eleven, and you are one of us until the clock strikes twelve.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Fred._ _I_ know why, but, alas!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I mustn’t tell you; it wouldn’t be right.
Chapter 23 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 23 holds 382 sentences of Original Plays, Second Series, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 23 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.
