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Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays
Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."
The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.
4, where he is called Feste.
All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.
Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."
/ðə klaʊn ɪn twelfθ naɪt/
Line 2
The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.
Line 3
4, where he is called Feste.
Line 4
All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.
/ɔːl ðə ˈdeɪnti sɔːŋz ʌv ðə pleɪ ɑːr pʊt ˈɪntuː hɪz maʊθ/
Line 5
Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

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.

clown noun US /klaʊn/

a rude or vulgar fool

From this reading “THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."”

composer noun US /kəmˈpoʊzər/

someone who composes music as a profession

From this reading “Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.”

dainty adjective US /ˈdeɪnti/

delicately beautiful

From this reading “All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.”

distinguished adjective US /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

From this reading “Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.”

musician noun US /mjuːˈzɪʃən/

someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)

From this reading “Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.”

songs noun US /sɔːŋz/

plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words

From this reading “All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.”

text noun US /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading “The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.”

twelfth adjective US /twelfθ/

coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position

From this reading “THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."”

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.

put into verb + particle

In this reading “All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.”

appear in verb + particle

In this reading “The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.”

name of verb + particle

In this reading “The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.”

All words in this reading · 41

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.

4

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

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

ActverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

CLOWNnounUS /klaʊn/

a rude or vulgar fool

From this reading THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."

composernounUS /kəmˈpoʊzər/

someone who composes music as a profession

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

daintyadjectiveUS /ˈdeɪnti/

delicately beautiful

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

distinguishedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

dramatis

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

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

Feste

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

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

iinoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

musiciannounUS /mjuːˈzɪʃən/

someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

NIGHTnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

personæ

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

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

Shakspeare

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

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

songsnounUS /sɔːŋz/

plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words

From this reading All the dainty songs of the play are put into his mouth.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading The name of the Clown does not appear in the _dramatis personæ_, and only once in the text, Act ii.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."

TWELFTHadjectiveUS /twelfθ/

coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position

From this reading THE CLOWN IN "TWELFTH NIGHT."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Feste was the name of a distinguished musician and composer, probably a friend of Shakspeare.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading 4, where he is called Feste.

Chapter 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays by John Weiss holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays contain?

Chapter 6 holds 405 sentences of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays by John Weiss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 6 of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays?

Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 81 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays

Common questions about reading Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays by John Weiss on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays?

Yes. All 4294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65060 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #65060, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays take to read?

About 357 minutes of reading across 859 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays section by section

How to work through Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays

Words and structures a reader meets early in Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Humor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shakspeare
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
West-easterly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Divan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wit, Humor, and Shakspeare: Twelve Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.