Chapter 3 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mer. I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom. And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer. Why may one aske? Rom.
Chapter 3 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
an old word for “before”
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading “And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.”
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading “I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.”
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 And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why may one aske?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
an old word for “before”
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
the act of departing
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Why may one aske?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mer.
not any; not one
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
on one occasion
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Why may one aske?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
term of address for a man
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
carry out
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
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 And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
(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 And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why may one aske?
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading And we meane well in going to this Maske, But 'tis no wit to go Mer.
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading I meane sir I delay, We wast our lights in vaine, lights, lights, by day; Take our good meaning, for our Iudgement sits Fiue times in that, ere once in our fiue wits Rom.
Chapter 3 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 3 holds 176 sentences of Romeo and Juliet, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 3 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 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1765 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1112, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Romeo and Juliet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Romeo and Juliet 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 Romeo and Juliet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
