Chapter 2 of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest. 390 What can’st thou lack? _CONSTANCE._ I am not very happy. _Mar._ Not happy, thou? Woe for the world!
Chapter 2 of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.”
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.”
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading “390 What can’st thou lack?”
make imperfect
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.”
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading “Woe for the world!”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “Woe for the world!”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 390 What can’st thou lack?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading _CONSTANCE._ I am not very happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 390 What can’st thou lack?
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Woe for the world!
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _CONSTANCE._ I am not very happy.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading 390 What can’st thou lack?
make imperfect
From this reading _Mar._ Not happy, thou?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _CONSTANCE._ I am not very happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
express in words
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Woe for the world!
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
precisely as stated
From this reading _CONSTANCE._ I am not very happy.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 390 What can’st thou lack?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Sweet, happy Constance, tell me why thou sighest.
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading Woe for the world!
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Woe for the world!
Chapter 2 of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 by Robert Bridges holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 2 holds 393 sentences of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 by Robert Bridges exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 2 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 Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 by Robert Bridges on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4132 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56266 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56266, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4 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 Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 4, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
