Chapter 5 of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"At your service, Sir!" I called out in answer, approaching the trap. "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage." "My men will not fire again until I give the word." "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
Chapter 5 of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories is here in full — 423 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.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading “I called out in answer, approaching the trap.”
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading “"But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."”
the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position
From this reading “"But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."”
worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
From this reading “"But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."”
a negotiation between enemies
From this reading “"But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."”
require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading “"Very well, then: what do you require of us?"”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “"But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “I called out in answer, approaching the trap.”
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.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “I called out in answer, approaching the trap.”
In this reading “"My men will not fire again until I give the word."”
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 "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
anew
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
react verbally
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At your service, Sir!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
start firing a weapon
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
the force of workers available
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
not any; not one
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
a negotiation between enemies
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading "At your service, Sir!"
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
term of address for a man
From this reading "At your service, Sir!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading I called out in answer, approaching the trap.
up to a particular time
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
(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 "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Very well, then: what do you require of us?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "My men will not fire again until I give the word."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But if you want a parley it must be an honourable one, and no shooting up or catching me at disadvantage."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "At your service, Sir!"
Chapter 5 of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 423 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 5 holds 423 sentences of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 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.
Common questions about reading Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3859 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54274 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54274, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Shakespeare's Christmas, and Other Stories 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's Christmas, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
