Chapter 23 of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done. Now, a song. _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song. _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life? 35 _Sir To._ A love-song, a love-song.
Chapter 23 of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “_Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “_Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.”
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading “_Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.”
characterized by a feeling of irresponsibility
From this reading “_Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “_Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?”
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading “_Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?”
term of address for a man
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “Now, a song.”
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.
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 _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 35 _Sir To._ A love-song, a love-song.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Now, a song.
(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 _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
characterized by a feeling of irresponsibility
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
a song about love or expressing love for another person
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, a song.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
term of address for a man
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Now, a song.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
at the time that
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Sir And._ Excellent! why, this is the best fooling, when all is done.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _Sir And._ There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a-- _Clo._ Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Sir To._ Come on; there is sixpence for you: let's have 30 a song.
Chapter 23 of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 by William Shakespeare holds 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 23 holds 377 sentences of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 23 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 Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14442 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50559 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50559, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2889 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3 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 Works of William Shakespeare — Vol. 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
