Chapter 1 of The Praise of Shakespeare is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Praise of Shakespeare is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters. Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original. A row of asterisks represents a thought break. A row of periods represents an ellipsis. Ellipses match the original.
Chapter 1 of The Praise of Shakespeare is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “cap” — a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.”
division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page
From this reading “Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.”
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.”
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading “A row of periods represents an ellipsis.”
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading “A row of asterisks represents a thought break.”
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading “Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
plural of “variation” — an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
From this reading “Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.”
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 “s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.”
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 A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A row of periods represents an ellipsis.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
terminate
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
plural of “cap” — a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
an occurrence of something
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellipses match the original.
omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences
From this reading A row of periods represents an ellipsis.
division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page
From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
the literary culture
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Ellipses match the original.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading A row of periods represents an ellipsis.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
confined on all sides
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading A row of asterisks represents a thought break.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
plural of “variation” — an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
in the company of; together with
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
the words that are spoken
From this reading s: Words in italics in the original are surrounded with _underscores Words in mixed case and all cap small caps are in capital letters.
Chapter 1 of The Praise of Shakespeare by C. E. (Cecil Eldred) [Compiler] Hughes holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 1 holds 418 sentences of The Praise of Shakespeare, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Praise of Shakespeare by C. E. (Cecil Eldred) [Compiler] Hughes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 1 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 Praise of Shakespeare by C. E. (Cecil Eldred) [Compiler] Hughes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2087 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 173 minutes of reading across 418 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Praise of Shakespeare section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Praise of Shakespeare 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 Praise of Shakespeare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
