Chapter 2 of The Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero. “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors. At this time I will tell no tales.” “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt. “No,” replied Prospero quietly.
Chapter 2 of The Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading ““The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.”
(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
plural of “lord” — terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
(used in combination) mentally oriented toward something specified
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading ““The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.”
plural of “traitor” — someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
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 ““But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
(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 “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
on or to one side
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
intentionally conceived
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
plural of “lord” — terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
engage in
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
(used in combination) mentally oriented toward something specified
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
not any; not one
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
with low volume
From this reading “No,” replied Prospero quietly.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “No,” replied Prospero quietly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
express in words
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The devil speaks in him,” muttered Sebastian, conscious of his guilt.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
plural of “traitor” — someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
accept gladly
From this reading “Welcome, my friends all!” said Prospero.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading At this time I will tell no tales.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But you, my brace of lords,” he added, aside to Sebastian and Antonio, “if I were so minded, I could make his Highness frown on you and prove you traitors.
Chapter 2 of The Shakespeare Story-Book by Mary Macleod holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 408 sentences of The Shakespeare Story-Book, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Shakespeare Story-Book by Mary Macleod exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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 Story-Book by Mary Macleod on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49146, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 482 minutes of reading across 1158 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shakespeare Story-Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shakespeare Story-Book 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 Story-Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
