Chapter 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Speed._ Thou liest; I can. _Launce._ I will try thee. Tell me this: who begot thee? _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather. _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
Chapter 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
inflected form of “beget” — make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading “Tell me this: who begot thee?”
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading “_Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “_Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “_Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.”
not able to read or write
From this reading “_Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.”
take in marriage
From this reading “_Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.”
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading “_Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.”
move hurridly
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.
inflected form of “beget” — make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading Tell me this: who begot thee?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading _Speed._ Thou liest; I can.
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Speed._ Thou liest; I can.
not able to read or write
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
very small silvery eellike schooling fishes that burrow into sandy beaches
From this reading _Launce._ I will try thee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Speed._ Thou liest; I can.
someone who lingers aimlessly in or about a place
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
take in marriage
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tell me this: who begot thee?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
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 _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
a male human offspring
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
move hurridly
From this reading _Speed._ Thou liest; I can.
express in words
From this reading Tell me this: who begot thee?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Speed._ Marry, the son of my grandfather.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading _Launce._ I will try thee.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Tell me this: who begot thee?
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading _Speed._ Thou liest; I can.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading _Launce._ I will try thee.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Launce._ O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother: this proves that thou canst not read.
which person or people
From this reading Tell me this: who begot thee?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Launce._ I will try thee.
Chapter 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William by William Shakespeare holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 4 holds 381 sentences of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona The Works of William by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 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.
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About 188 minutes of reading across 453 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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