Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 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 Second is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Squ. _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her? _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body. [_He kisses ~Myr~._ Squ. _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading “_Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?”
obtain
From this reading “_Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.”
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “[_He kisses ~Myr~._ Squ.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “_Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “_Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.”
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “_Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.”
possessing material wealth
lacking civility or good manners
From this reading “_Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?”
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 “_Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.”
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 join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
obtain
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading [_He kisses ~Myr~._ Squ.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
a woman of refinement
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
possessing material wealth
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
in the near future
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Squ.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
lacking civility or good manners
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
(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 _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Rich._ Why ay, feather, does moather think 'at I'd be uncivil to her?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _Myr._ Master has so much good-humour, Madam, he would soon gain upon any body.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Rich._ Lo' you there, Moather: and you would but be quiet, she and I should do well enough.
Chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second by John Vanbrugh holds 375 sentences, grouped into 75 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 375 sentences of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second by John Vanbrugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 375 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Second by John Vanbrugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6056 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51114 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51114, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 504 minutes of reading across 1212 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Plays, Written by Sir John Vanbrugh, Volume the Second 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 Second, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
