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The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02
The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Bib_.
Did you mark that, Frances?
There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.
I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?
_Lov_.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Bib_.
/bɪb/
Line 2
Did you mark that, Frances?
/dɪd juː mɑːrk ðæt ˈfrænsɪs/
Line 3
There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.
Line 4
I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?
/aɪ pərˈsiːv juː lʌv ˈfrænsɪs sɜːr ənd aɪ lʌv hɜːr ðə ˈbetər fɔːr jɔːr seɪk spiːk ˈtruːli duː juː nɑːt laɪk sʌtʃ ə ˈprɪti braʊn kaɪnd ʌv ˈwʊmən/
Line 5
_Lov_.

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.

angry adjective US /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading “There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.”

Bib noun US /bɪb/

top part of an apron; covering the chest

brown noun US /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading “I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?”

Frances noun US /ˈfrænsɪs/

plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading “Did you mark that, Frances?”

mark verb US /mɑːrk/

attach a tag or label to

From this reading “Did you mark that, Frances?”

perceive verb US /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading “I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?”

truly adverb US /ˈtruːli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading “I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?”

wit noun US /wɪt/

a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

From this reading “There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

BibnounUS /bɪb/

top part of an apron; covering the chest

From this reading _Bib_.

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

call'd

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

cannot

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

cuckoldnoun

a man whose wife committed adultery

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Did you mark that, Frances?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

FrancesnounUS /ˈfrænsɪs/

plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading Did you mark that, Frances?

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

Lov

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

From this reading _Lov_.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

markverbUS /mɑːrk/

attach a tag or label to

From this reading Did you mark that, Frances?

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

perceiveverbUS /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

sakenounUS /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Did you mark that, Frances?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

trulyadverbUS /ˈtruːli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

witnounUS /wɪt/

a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading There was wit now; he call'd me cuckold to my face, and yet for my heart I cannot be angry with him.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Did you mark that, Frances?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I perceive you love Frances, sir; and I love her the better for your sake; speak truly, do you not like such a pretty brown kind of woman?

Chapter 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 by John Dryden holds 350 sentences, grouped into 70 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 350 sentences of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 by John Dryden exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 2 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02?

Work through the 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 70 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 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02

Common questions about reading The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 by John Dryden on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02?

Yes. All 10588 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12166 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12166, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2118 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 section by section

How to work through The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02 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 works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02

Words and structures a reader meets early in The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Collected
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Eighteen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Volumes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.