Chapter 23 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
3. See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale. 4. “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.” 5.
Chapter 23 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading “See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.”
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading “See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.”
a sweet yellow liquid produced by bees
From this reading ““Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.””
possessive form of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
a cartoon character created by Walt Disney
From this reading “See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading ““Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.””
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.”
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading ““Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.””
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 3.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
a sweet yellow liquid produced by bees
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
possessive form of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
a cartoon character created by Walt Disney
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
goddess of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Persephone
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
express in words
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading See the conversation between Pluto and Proserpine, in the Merchant’s Tale.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Thy name,” she says, “is Melibœus; that is to say, a man that drinketh honey.”
Chapter 23 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 23 holds 233 sentences of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 23 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 Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9557 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2383 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2383, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems 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 Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
