Chapter 17 of The Shakespeare-Expositor is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Shakespeare-Expositor is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court. * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting. The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_. We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end. * * * * * "Sir ...
Chapter 17 of The Shakespeare-Expositor is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.”
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “* * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.”
hold back to a later time
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading “* * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “* *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.”
the system of numbering pages
From this reading “The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.”
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading “The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.”
nonexistent
From this reading “* *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.”
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.
sound practical judgment
In this reading “* *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.”
In this reading “We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.”
In this reading “* *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
unproductive of success
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
hold back to a later time
From this reading The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
the system of numbering pages
From this reading The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
for more time
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
engage in
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading The 4th folio, for 'desire,' reads _defer_.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
term of address for a man
From this reading * * * * * "Sir ...
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
nonexistent
From this reading * *" It is difficult to make any good sense of 'desire' here; and a foot is wanting.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We might add _deferr'd_ or _delay'd_ at the end.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading * * * * * "It shall be therefore bootless That longer you desire the court.
Chapter 17 of The Shakespeare-Expositor by Thomas Keightley holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 17 holds 401 sentences of The Shakespeare-Expositor, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Shakespeare-Expositor by Thomas Keightley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 17 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 Shakespeare-Expositor by Thomas Keightley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11634 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45160 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45160, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shakespeare-Expositor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Shakespeare-Expositor 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 Shakespeare-Expositor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
