Chapter 1 of Sir Thomas More is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Sir Thomas More is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare. First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS. 7368 in the British Museum. DRAMATIS PERSONAE. Earl of SHREWSBURY.
Chapter 1 of Sir Thomas More is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
having no known name or identity or known source
From this reading “An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.”
past form of “ascribe” — attribute or credit to
From this reading “An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.”
a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading “Earl of SHREWSBURY.”
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading “7368 in the British Museum.”
plural of “persona” — an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
From this reading “DRAMATIS PERSONAE.”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 7368 in the British Museum.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
having no known name or identity or known source
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
past form of “ascribe” — attribute or credit to
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading 7368 in the British Museum.
a period of 100 years
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading Earl of SHREWSBURY.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading 7368 in the British Museum.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
plural of “persona” — an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
From this reading DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
participate in games or sport
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First printed in 1844 and here re-edited from the Harleian MS.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Earl of SHREWSBURY.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An anonymous play of the sixteen century ascribed in part to William Shakespeare.
Chapter 1 of Sir Thomas More by William [Dubious author] Shakespeare holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 219 sentences of Sir Thomas More, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Sir Thomas More by William [Dubious author] Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Sir Thomas More by William [Dubious author] Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1975 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1547 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1547, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 164 minutes of reading across 395 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sir Thomas More section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Sir Thomas More 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 Sir Thomas More, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
