Chapter 7 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MEL. Ay, what am I to trust to then? CYNT. Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds. But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
Chapter 7 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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 show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view
From this reading “Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.”
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.”
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading “Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.”
a female domestic
From this reading “But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.”
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading “Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.”
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading “But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.”
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 if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
any thing at all
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CYNT.
a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
a female domestic
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MEL.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
and nothing more
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
not in physical motion
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
precisely as stated
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Ay, what am I to trust to then?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why, if you give me very clear demonstration that it was the devil, I'll allow for irresistible odds.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But if I find it to be only chance, or destiny, or unlucky stars, or anything but the very devil, I'm inexorable: only still I'll keep my word, and live a maid for your sake.
Chapter 7 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy by William Congreve holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 7 holds 280 sentences of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Double-Dealer: A Comedy by William Congreve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 7 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
