Chapter 2 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha! Poor Sir Harry! More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha! But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha! Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
Chapter 2 of The Constant Couple is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading “But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!”
a state of high honor
From this reading “More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “_Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!”
a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!”
conformity or harmony
From this reading “Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!”
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!”
the local environment
From this reading “Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!”
capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
From this reading “More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!”
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 “Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!”
In this reading “Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!”
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 But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
a state of high honor
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
conformity or harmony
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
the literary culture
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
the local environment
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Sir Harry!
capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
term of address for a man
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading More glory in her smile than in the Jubilee at Rome; ha! ha! ha!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But then her foot, Sir Harry; she dances to a miracle! ha! ha! ha!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Colonel S._ What, Sir Harry Wildair out of humour! ha! ha! ha!
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
produce a literary work
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Fie, Sir Harry; a man of your parts write letters not worth keeping!
Chapter 2 of The Constant Couple by George Farquhar holds 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 2 holds 480 sentences of The Constant Couple, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Constant Couple by George Farquhar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 2 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.
