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The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Winter's Tale
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Dion.
I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.
O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?
Cleo.
But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Winter's Tale

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Dion.
Line 2
I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.
Line 3
O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?
Line 4
Cleo.
Line 5
But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

Learner Dictionary

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.

burst verb US /bɜːrst/

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading “But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.”

Habits noun US /ˈhæbəts/

plural of “habit” — an established custom

From this reading “I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.”

Kin noun US /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading “But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.”

Oracle noun US /ˈɔːrəkəl/

an authoritative person who divines the future

From this reading “But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.”

report verb US /riˈpɔːrt/

to give an account or representation of in words

From this reading “I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.”

Sacrifice noun US /ˈsækrəfaɪs/

the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

From this reading “O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?”

Thunder verb US /ˈθʌndər/

move fast, noisily, and heavily

From this reading “But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.”

Wearers noun US /ˈwerərz/

plural of “wearer” — a person who wears or carries or displays something as a body covering or accessory

From this reading “I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

burstverbUS /bɜːrst/

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

Celestiall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

ceremoniousadjective

characterized by pomp and ceremony and stately display

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

Cleo

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cleo.

Dio

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

Dion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dion.

eare-deaff'ning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

graue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

HabitsnounUS /ˈhæbəts/

plural of “habit” — an established custom

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

i'th

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

Ioues

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

KinnounUS /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

o'th

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

Offring

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

OraclenounUS /ˈɔːrəkəl/

an authoritative person who divines the future

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

reportverbUS /riˈpɔːrt/

to give an account or representation of in words

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

reuerence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

SacrificenounUS /ˈsækrəfaɪs/

the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

Sence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

solemne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

surpriz'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

terme

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

thinkes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

ThunderverbUS /ˈθʌndər/

move fast, noisily, and heavily

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

vn-earthly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

Voyce

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But of all, the burst And the eare-deaff'ning Voyce o'th' Oracle, Kin to Ioues Thunder, so surpriz'd my Sence, That I was nothing Dio.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading O, the Sacrifice, How ceremonious, solemne, and vn-earthly It was i'th' Offring?

WearersnounUS /ˈwerərz/

plural of “wearer” — a person who wears or carries or displays something as a body covering or accessory

From this reading I shall report, For most it caught me, the Celestiall Habits, (Me thinkes I so should terme them) and the reuerence Of the graue Wearers.

Chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale contain?

Chapter 5 holds 148 sentences of The Winter's Tale, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Winter's Tale?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Winter's Tale

Common questions about reading The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Winter's Tale?

Yes. All 1525 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Winter's Tale is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1134, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Winter's Tale take to read?

About 127 minutes of reading across 305 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Winter's Tale section by section

How to work through The Winter's Tale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Winter's Tale to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Winter's Tale

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Winter's Tale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Winters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Winter's Tale; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Actus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Winter's Tale; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Primus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Winter's Tale; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scoena
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Winter's Tale; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.