Chapter 5 of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHARP. This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks. But I hope you are not offended that I offered them. SIR JO. May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
Chapter 5 of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
increase twofold
From this reading “This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.”
the trait of being willing to give your money or time
From this reading “This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading “This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.”
emotionally hurt or upset or annoyed
From this reading “But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.”
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.”
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “SHARP.”
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading “This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.”
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 This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
the two together, not just one
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
increase twofold
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
the trait of being willing to give your money or time
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR JO.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
emotionally hurt or upset or annoyed
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading SHARP.
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR JO.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a double generosity: do me a kindness and refuse my thanks.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading May be I am, sir, may be I am not, sir, may be I am both, sir; what then?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But I hope you are not offended that I offered them.
Chapter 5 of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 by William Congreve holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 by William Congreve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 by William Congreve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6029 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1206 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1 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 Comedies of William Congreve — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
