Chapter 3 of The Devil Is an Ass 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 III
Chapter 3 of The Devil Is an Ass is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window. Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer: How! not any word? Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
Chapter 3 of The Devil Is an Ass 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.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.”
an old word for “no”
From this reading “Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.”
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading “Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:”
plural of “suspect” — someone who is under suspicion
From this reading “Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:”
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading “Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:”
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 “I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.”
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 Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
react verbally
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading How! not any word?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How! not any word?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
an old word for “no”
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading How! not any word?
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
plural of “suspect” — someone who is under suspicion
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
carry out
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nay, then, I taste a tricke in’t.
at the time that
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading I’ll take carefull order, That shee shall hang forth ensignes at the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading How! not any word?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Finally Wittipol, like Il Zima, suspects a trick when Mrs. Fitzdottrel refuses to answer:
Chapter 3 of The Devil Is an Ass by Ben Jonson 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 3 holds 410 sentences of The Devil Is an Ass, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Devil Is an Ass by Ben Jonson 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 3 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 Devil Is an Ass by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13920 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50150, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2784 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Devil Is an Ass section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Devil Is an Ass 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 Devil Is an Ass, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
