Chapter 15 of Portia is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Portia is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I would that I were low laid in my grave." --KING JOHN. "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts." --TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. THE last guest has departed.
Chapter 15 of Portia is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
well in the past; former
From this reading “THE last guest has departed.”
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.”
death of a person
From this reading “"I would that I were low laid in my grave."”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “THE last guest has departed.”
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading “"Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."”
set down according to a plan
From this reading “"I would that I were low laid in my grave."”
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “"I would that I were low laid in my grave."”
a city in Veneto on the River Adige
From this reading “--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.”
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 “--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.”
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.
well in the past; former
From this reading THE last guest has departed.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading --TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.
death of a person
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading THE last guest has departed.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE last guest has departed.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading --KING JOHN.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading --KING JOHN.
set down according to a plan
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
immediately past
From this reading THE last guest has departed.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
(Greek mythology) a prophetic god who served Poseidon; was capable of changing his shape at will
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE last guest has departed.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "Proteus, I love thee in my heart of hearts."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading --TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.
a city in Veneto on the River Adige
From this reading --TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I would that I were low laid in my grave."
Chapter 15 of Portia by Duchess holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 15 holds 97 sentences of Portia, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Portia by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 15 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 Portia by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31825, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 547 minutes of reading across 1314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Portia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Portia 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 Portia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
