Chapter 2 of Twelfth Night is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Twelfth Night is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And. And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To. Wherefore are these things hid? Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em? Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
Chapter 2 of Twelfth Night is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
remove the dust from
From this reading “Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?”
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading “Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?”
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “Wherefore are these things hid?”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?”
and nothing more
From this reading “And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.”
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Wherefore are these things hid?”
an old word meaning “why” or “for that reason”
From this reading “Wherefore are these things hid?”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Wherefore are these things hid?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?
remove the dust from
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
a quad with a square body
From this reading Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading Wherefore haue these gifts a Curtaine before 'em?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Wherefore are these things hid?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
an uncertain region on the east shore of the Adriatic where an ancient Indo-European people once lived
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
a master's degree in library science
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
and nothing more
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
carry out
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Wherefore are these things hid?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Are they like to take dust, like mistris Mals picture?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Wherefore are these things hid?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And I thinke I haue the backe-tricke, simply as strong as any man in Illyria To.
an old word meaning “why” or “for that reason”
From this reading Wherefore are these things hid?
Chapter 2 of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of Twelfth Night, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1732 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1123 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1123, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 144 minutes of reading across 347 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Twelfth Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Twelfth Night 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 Twelfth Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
