Chapter 3 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VAIN. In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building. That’s thy element, Ned. Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop. [_Flings a Letter_.]
Chapter 3 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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 structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.”
plural of “castle” — a large and stately mansion
From this reading “In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.”
an abstract part of something
From this reading “That’s thy element, Ned.”
someone who travels by air
From this reading “Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.”
plural of “fling” — a usually brief attempt
qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
From this reading “Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.”
bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “VAIN.”
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 Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
plural of “castle” — a large and stately mansion
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
an abstract part of something
From this reading That’s thy element, Ned.
someone who travels by air
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
plural of “fling” — a usually brief attempt
From this reading [_Flings a Letter_.]
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading [_Flings a Letter_.]
qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
engage in
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s thy element, Ned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s thy element, Ned.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading In castles i’ th’ air of thy own building.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading VAIN.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Well, as high a flier as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
Chapter 3 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy by William Congreve holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 265 sentences of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy by William Congreve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 Old Bachelor: A Comedy by William Congreve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1192 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1192, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 316 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Bachelor: A Comedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Old Bachelor: 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 Old Bachelor: A Comedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
