Chapter 5 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed? GIRLS: Oh, spare him! MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield? GIRLS: Oh, spare him! POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
Chapter 5 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
not accessible to view
From this reading “POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!”
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading “POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!”
refrain from harming
From this reading “GIRLS: Oh, spare him!”
-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!”
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?”
have and exercise
From this reading “MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?”
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading “MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?”
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 MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
not accessible to view
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading GIRLS: Oh, spare him!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading GIRLS: Oh, spare him!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
not any; not one
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading GIRLS: Oh, spare him!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
refrain from harming
From this reading GIRLS: Oh, spare him!
-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
in spite of the fact that
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
(of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
have and exercise
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading MABEL: (wildly) Is he to die, unshriven, unannealed?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading MABEL: Will no one in his cause a weapon wield?
an affirmative
From this reading POLICE: (springing up) Yes, we are here, though hitherto concealed!
Chapter 5 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Arthur Sullivan holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 5 holds 387 sentences of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Arthur Sullivan exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Arthur Sullivan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7513 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #808 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #808, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1503 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan 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 Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
