Chapter 1 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors. There was Captain Arthur. Was there ever such a dunce? He had no manner whatever. He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
Chapter 1 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 21/97 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
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.
without advance planning
From this reading “He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.”
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading “There was Captain Arthur.”
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading “He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.”
plural of “boor” — a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
From this reading “As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.”
a stately court dance in the 17th century
From this reading “He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.”
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading “As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.”
plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors
From this reading “He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Was there ever such a dunce?
without advance planning
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading There was Captain Arthur.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
have
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
plural of “boor” — a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading There was Captain Arthur.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
a stupid person; these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence
From this reading Was there ever such a dunce?
at any time
From this reading Was there ever such a dunce?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
destroyed or killed
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had no manner whatever.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had no manner whatever.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He had no manner whatever.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
a stately court dance in the 17th century
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
not any; not one
From this reading He had no manner whatever.
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
on one occasion
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
and nothing more
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Was there ever such a dunce?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was Captain Arthur.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As far as my observation has gone, they are only so many boors.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was Captain Arthur.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading He had no manner whatever.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He attempted once to walk a minuet with me, and I really thought he was a bear accidentally stumbled into coat and slippers.
Chapter 1 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 by Oliver Bell Bunce holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 1 holds 489 sentences of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 by Oliver Bell Bunce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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.
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