Chapter 23 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.] SCANTLEBURY. I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir. WANKLIN. You're rather overshooting the mark.
Chapter 23 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]”
apart from; not including
From this reading “[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]”
understanding with difficulty
From this reading “[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “You're rather overshooting the mark.”
-ing form of “overshoot” — shoot beyond or over (a target)
From this reading “You're rather overshooting the mark.”
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading “I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading “[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “[All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
weapons considered collectively
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
apart from; not including
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
understanding with difficulty
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading You're rather overshooting the mark.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
-ing form of “overshoot” — shoot beyond or over (a target)
From this reading You're rather overshooting the mark.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
on the contrary
From this reading You're rather overshooting the mark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCANTLEBURY.
term of address for a man
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
a male human offspring
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
a formal word for “on”
From this reading [All except ANTHONY are now upon their feet, ANTHONY sits grasping the arms of his chair and staring at his son.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WANKLIN.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I don't--I don't like the way you're putting it, young sir.
Chapter 23 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy holds 400 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 23 holds 400 sentences of Plays : First Series, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 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 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 Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays : First Series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Plays : First 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 Plays : First Series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
