Chapter 2 of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean. The corn, wine, and oil, lies there. In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't. _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery. [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
Chapter 2 of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading “_Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.”
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “[_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.”
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading “The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.”
a hole for the escape of gas or air
From this reading “[_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.”
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 “In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.”
In this reading “The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.”
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.
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
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 In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
accept an excuse for
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
opinion or judgment
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
the act of departing
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
be standing; be upright
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading In short, she has twenty thousand pounds, that's the English on't.
a hole for the escape of gas or air
From this reading [_Going._ _Aim._ Pray excuse me; my passion must have vent.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading The corn, wine, and oil, lies there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Aim._ Her eyes---- _Arch._ Are demicannons, to be sure; so I won't stand their battery.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Arch._ Her face!--her pocket, you mean.
Chapter 2 of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts by George Farquhar holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 2 holds 470 sentences of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts by George Farquhar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 2 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 The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts by George Farquhar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37195, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 116 minutes of reading across 280 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts 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 The Beaux-Stratagem: A Comedy in Five Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
