Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now? _Euph._ So; 'tis going over. _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter? _Euph._ The matter! Thou shalt hear.
Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 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.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading “_Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?”
(Greek mythology) wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids
From this reading “[_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Thou shalt hear.”
pull or pull out sharply
From this reading “_Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?”
an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Thou shalt hear.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “_Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Thou shalt hear.”
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading “_Euph._ So; 'tis going over.”
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 “_Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?”
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.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
(Greek mythology) wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Euph._ So; 'tis going over.
the act of departing
From this reading _Euph._ So; 'tis going over.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Thou shalt hear.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
above and across; more than
From this reading _Euph._ So; 'tis going over.
pull or pull out sharply
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”
From this reading Thou shalt hear.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _Euph._ So; 'tis going over.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
in or at that place or location
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou shalt hear.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading _Euph._ So; 'tis going over.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_~Doris~ unlaces her._ There: How d'ye do now?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Dor._ Courage, pluck up your Spirits: Well, now what's the matter?
Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First by John Vanbrugh holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 12 holds 403 sentences of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First by John Vanbrugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 12 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, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First by John Vanbrugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6902 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51113 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51113, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 575 minutes of reading across 1381 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First 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, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the First, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
