Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. S. Can this be true? SEL. He wants _two_ wives! (Music till end of act.)
Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
MRS.
S.
Can
this
be
true?
SEL.
He
wants
_two_
wives!
(Music
till
end
of
act.)
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
MRS.
/ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 2
S.
Can
this
be
true?
/es kæn ðɪs biː truː/
Line 3
SEL.
Line 4
He
wants
_two_
wives!
/hiː wɑːnts tuː waɪvz/
Line 5
(Music
till
end
of
act.)
/ˈmjuːzɪk tɪl end ʌv ækt/
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “(Music till end of act.)”
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “(Music till end of act.)”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “MRS.”
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading “(Music till end of act.)”
up to a particular time
From this reading “(Music till end of act.)”
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “S. Can this be true?”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “He wants _two_ wives!”
wives
noun
US /waɪvz/
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “He wants _two_ wives!”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 16
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading (Music till end of act.)
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading S. Can this be true?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading S. Can this be true?
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading (Music till end of act.)
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wants _two_ wives!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading (Music till end of act.)
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading (Music till end of act.)
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading S. Can this be true?
SEL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEL.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading S. Can this be true?
up to a particular time
From this reading (Music till end of act.)
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading S. Can this be true?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He wants _two_ wives!
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading He wants _two_ wives!
wivesnounUS /waɪvz/
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He wants _two_ wives!
Chapter 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts by Arthur Shirley holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts contain?
Chapter 4 holds 438 sentences of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts by Arthur Shirley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 4 of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts?
Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 4 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts
Common questions about reading Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts by Arthur Shirley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts?
Yes. All 1738 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #26157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts take to read?
About 144 minutes of reading across 348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts section by section
How to work through Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts
Words and structures a reader meets early in Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Weather--so
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Thought
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Chilly
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Where
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Three Hats: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.