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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Romeo and Juliet
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Rom.
I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.
Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole
Ben.
Stop there, stop there Mer.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Romeo and Juliet

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Rom.
/rɑːm/
Line 2
I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.
Line 3
Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole
Line 4
Ben.
/ben/
Line 5
Stop there, stop there Mer.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Ben noun US /ben/

a mountain or tall hill

From this reading “Ben.”

Goose noun US /ɡuːs/

web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks

From this reading “I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.”

lolling verb US /ˈlɑːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “loll” — hang loosely or laxly

From this reading “Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole”

Rom noun US /rɑːm/

(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed

From this reading “Rom.”

Romeo noun US /ˈroʊmioʊ/

an ardent male lover

From this reading “Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole”

runs noun US /rʌnz/

plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

From this reading “Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole”

sociable adjective US /ˈsoʊʃəbəl/

inclined to or conducive to companionship with others

From this reading “Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole”

stretch verb US /stretʃ/

occupy a large, elongated area

From this reading “I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

abroadadverbUS /əˈbrɔːd/

to or in a foreign country

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

bable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

BennounUS /ben/

a mountain or tall hill

From this reading Ben.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

downe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

driueling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

farre

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

GoosenounUS /ɡuːs/

web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

groning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

hidverbUS /hɪd/

inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

holenounUS /hoʊl/

an opening into or through something

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

lollingverbUS /ˈlɑːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “loll” — hang loosely or laxly

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

Loue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

Mer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

Naturall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

NaturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

proues

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

RomnounUS /rɑːm/

(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed

From this reading Rom.

RomeonounUS /ˈroʊmioʊ/

an ardent male lover

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

runsnounUS /rʌnz/

plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

sociableadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊʃəbəl/

inclined to or conducive to companionship with others

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

StopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading Stop there, stop there Mer.

stretchverbUS /stretʃ/

occupy a large, elongated area

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Stop there, stop there Mer.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

vp

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why is not this better now, then groning for Loue, now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo: now art thou what thou art, by Art as well as by Nature, for this driueling Loue is like a great Naturall, that runs lolling vp and downe to hid his bable in a hole

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading I stretch it out for that word, broad, which added to the Goose, proues thee farre and wide, abroad Goose Mer.

Chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

What does chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet contain?

Chapter 5 holds 175 sentences of Romeo and Juliet, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of Romeo and Juliet?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

Questions about reading Romeo and Juliet

Common questions about reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Romeo and Juliet?

Yes. All 1765 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Romeo and Juliet is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1112, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Romeo and Juliet take to read?

About 147 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Romeo and Juliet section by section

How to work through Romeo and Juliet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of Romeo and Juliet to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Romeo and Juliet

Words and structures a reader meets early in Romeo and Juliet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Addition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Below
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.