Chapter 1 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 488 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 488 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GEORGE FARQUHAR, ESQ. As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book. With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald. William Savage, Printer, London.
Chapter 1 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 488 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
a narrow way or road
From this reading “As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.”
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.”
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading “As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.”
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading “William Savage, Printer, London.”
give an incentive for action
From this reading “Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.”
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.”
plural of “theatre” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading “As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
From this reading GEORGE FARQUHAR, ESQ.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GEORGE FARQUHAR, ESQ.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading GEORGE FARQUHAR, ESQ.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.
a narrow way or road
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading William Savage, Printer, London.
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading William Savage, Printer, London.
give an incentive for action
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading William Savage, Printer, London.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
plural of “theatre” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading As Performed at the Theatres Royal, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William Savage, Printer, London.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With remarks by Mrs. Inchbald.
Chapter 1 of The Constant Couple by George Farquhar holds 488 sentences, grouped into 98 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 1 holds 488 sentences of The Constant Couple, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Constant Couple by George Farquhar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 488 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 1 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 Constant Couple by George Farquhar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1466 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32419 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32419, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 122 minutes of reading across 294 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Constant Couple section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Constant Couple 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 Constant Couple, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
