Chapter 31 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero. By R. E. FRANCILLON. One by One. A Dog and his Shadow. A Real Queen.
Chapter 31 of Original Plays, Second Series is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “A Dog and his Shadow.”
bringing death
From this reading “By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.”
English poet remembered primarily for his free translation of the poetry of Omar Khayyam (1809-1883)
From this reading “By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “A Real Queen.”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “A Real Queen.”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “A Dog and his Shadow.”
indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration
From this reading “By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.”
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.
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 A Dog and his Shadow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A Dog and his Shadow.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading A Dog and his Shadow.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading By R. E. FRANCILLON.
bringing death
From this reading By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.
English poet remembered primarily for his free translation of the poetry of Omar Khayyam (1809-1883)
From this reading By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By R. E. FRANCILLON.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A Dog and his Shadow.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One by One.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading A Real Queen.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading By R. E. FRANCILLON.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading A Real Queen.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading A Dog and his Shadow.
indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration
From this reading By PERCY FITZGERALD.--Fatal Zero.
Chapter 31 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 31 holds 424 sentences of Original Plays, Second Series, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 31 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.
