Chapter 2 of The Beggar's Opera is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Beggar's Opera is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Polly. _Can Love be control’d by Advice_? _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_? _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_. _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Chapter 2 of The Beggar's Opera is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
censure severely or angrily
(Roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of Greek Eros
From this reading “_Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?”
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading “_Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.”
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading “_Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.”
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading “_Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.”
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “_Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?”
be obedient to
superlative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “_When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.”
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.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
the two together, not just one
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
censure severely or angrily
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
(Roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of Greek Eros
From this reading _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading _Can Love be control’d by Advice_?
take in marriage
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
be obedient to
From this reading _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Polly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
superlative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Though my Heart were as frozen as Ice_, _At his Flame ’twould have melted away_.
at the time that
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Will_ Cupid _our Mothers obey_?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _When he kist me so closely he prest_, _’Twas so sweet that I must have comply’d_: _So I thought it both safest and best_ _To marry_, _for fear you should chide_.
Chapter 2 of The Beggar's Opera by John Gay holds 276 sentences, grouped into 56 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 2 holds 276 sentences of The Beggar's Opera, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Beggar's Opera by John Gay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 276 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Beggar's Opera by John Gay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2421 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2421, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 116 minutes of reading across 281 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beggar's Opera section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Beggar's Opera 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 Beggar's Opera, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
