Chapter 5 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same. ARAM. So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen? BELL. Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
Chapter 5 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
feel admiration for
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
love intensely
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
plural of “embrace” — the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
possessive form of “nothing” — a quantity of no importance
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading “Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.”
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.”
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.
feel admiration for
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
love intensely
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
the biblical name for ancient Syria
From this reading ARAM.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading BELL.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
a quad with a square body
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
plural of “embrace” — the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
the force of workers available
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
possessive form of “nothing” — a quantity of no importance
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
a short musical composition with words
From this reading So, how de’e like the song, gentlemen?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
precisely as stated
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
(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 Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
during the time that
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Oh, very well performed; but I don’t much admire the words.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Men will admire, adore and die, While wishing at your feet they lie: But admitting their embraces, Wakes ’em from the golden dream; Nothing’s new besides our faces, Every woman is the same.
Chapter 5 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy by William Congreve holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 5 holds 260 sentences of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy by William Congreve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 5 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.
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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.
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Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Old Bachelor: A Comedy to begin.
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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.
