Chapter 2 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SIR PAUL. Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he. LORD FROTH. Ridiculous! Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
Chapter 2 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
quick and energetic
From this reading “Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.”
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading “Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.”
a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid
From this reading “LORD FROTH.”
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.”
a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading “Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “Ridiculous!”
in a strange manner
From this reading “Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.”
make a vow; promise
From this reading “Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.”
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 Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
quick and energetic
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid
From this reading LORD FROTH.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading LORD FROTH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
an old word for “no”
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading SIR PAUL.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading Ridiculous!
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR PAUL.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
in a strange manner
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
make a vow; promise
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
at the time that
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Paul, you're strangely mistaken, I find champagne is powerful.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Nay, I protest and vow now, 'tis true; when Mr. Brisk jokes, your lordship's laugh does so become you, he, he, he.
Chapter 2 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy by William Congreve holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 274 sentences of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy by William Congreve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Double-Dealer: A Comedy by William Congreve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1191 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1191, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Double-Dealer: A Comedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy 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 Double-Dealer: A Comedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
