Chapter 14 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me! MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk. I'll warrant none here will recognise you. You make a brave Yeoman, sir! So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
Chapter 14 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading “You make a brave Yeoman, sir!”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.”
show approval or appreciation of
From this reading “I'll warrant none here will recognise you.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!”
an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
From this reading “So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.”
utter “tsk,” “tut,” or “tut-tut,” as in disapproval
From this reading “MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk.”
a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
From this reading “I'll warrant none here will recognise you.”
officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
From this reading “You make a brave Yeoman, sir!”
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 FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading You make a brave Yeoman, sir!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
death of a person
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
be suspended or hanging
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
engage in
From this reading You make a brave Yeoman, sir!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
not any; not one
From this reading MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk.
not one, and not any
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
show approval or appreciation of
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
term of address for a man
From this reading MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading FAIRFAX My good and kind friend, thou runnest a grave risk for me!
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading So— this ruff is too high; so— and the sword should hang thus.
utter “tsk,” “tut,” or “tut-tut,” as in disapproval
From this reading MERYLL Tut, sir, no risk.
a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
From this reading You make a brave Yeoman, sir!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'll warrant none here will recognise you.
Chapter 14 of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Arthur Sullivan holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 14 holds 431 sentences of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 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 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 14 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.
