Chapter 1 of Shakespeare Jest-Books is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Shakespeare Jest-Books is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Old English Jest-Book. VOL. I. REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE. A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
Chapter 1 of Shakespeare Jest-Books is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading “REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “Old English Jest-Book.”
ten 10s
From this reading “A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.”
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading “REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.”
plural of “reprint” — a publication (such as a book) that is reprinted without changes or editing and offered again for sale
From this reading “REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.”
required or under orders
From this reading “REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.”
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 “A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.”
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 A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Old English Jest-Book.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
ten 10s
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old English Jest-Book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old English Jest-Book.
and nothing more
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
plural of “reprint” — a publication (such as a book) that is reprinted without changes or editing and offered again for sale
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
required or under orders
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Hundred Mery Talys, FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
precisely as stated
From this reading REPRINTS OF THE EARLY AND VERY RARE JEST-BOOKS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SHAKESPEARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VOL.
Chapter 1 of Shakespeare Jest-Books by William Carew [Editor] Hazlitt holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Shakespeare Jest-Books, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Shakespeare Jest-Books by William Carew [Editor] Hazlitt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 1 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 Shakespeare Jest-Books by William Carew [Editor] Hazlitt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29821 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29821, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 266 minutes of reading across 640 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shakespeare Jest-Books section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Shakespeare Jest-Books 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 Shakespeare Jest-Books, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
