A Captive of the Roman Eagles

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of A Captive of the Roman Eagles is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Felix Dahn • Curated US English Learning Edition

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An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away."

"Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

"Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/24

A Captive of the Roman Eagles Felix Dahn

Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of A Captive of the Roman Eagles is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine. Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion. When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away." "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her. "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

A Captive of the Roman Eagles

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of A Captive of the Roman Eagles is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

/æn oʊld ˈwʊmən ræpt ɪn ə dɑːrk ˈɡɑːrmənt sæt ˈɔːlmoʊst ˈmoʊʃənləs əˈpɑːn ðə bentʃ ɪn ðə wɔːrm ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

Line 2

Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

/θɪn lɑːks ʌv ˈbjuːtəfəl waɪt her ɪˈskeɪpt frʌm bɪˈniːθ ðə edʒ ʌv ðə braʊn kloʊk drɔːn ˈoʊvər hɜːr hed hɜːr hændz əˈloʊn stɜːrd wɪð ə slaɪt ˈreɡjələr ˈmoʊʃən/

Line 3

When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away."

Line 4

"Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

Line 5

"Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

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.

echoed verb US /ˈekoʊd/

past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate

From this reading “When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away."”

garment noun US /ˈɡɑːrmənt/

an article of clothing

From this reading “An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.”

Hail verb US /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading “"Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.”

hillock noun US /ˈhɪlək/

a small natural hill

locks noun US /lɑːks/

plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed

From this reading “Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.”

nodding adjective US /ˈnɑːdɪŋ/

having branches or flower heads that bend downward

pausing verb US /ˈpɔːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

From this reading “"Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.”

youth's noun US /juːθs/

possessive form of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)

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.

warm sunshine adjective + noun

In this reading “An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.”

slipped away verb + particle counted as “slip away”

leave furtively and stealthily

In this reading “When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away."”

white hair noun + noun

In this reading “Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.”

old woman adjective + noun

a woman who is old

In this reading “An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.”

upon the bench preposition + article + noun counted as “upon … bench”

In this reading “An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.”

almost motionless adverb + adjective

In this reading “An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.”

beautiful white adjective + noun

In this reading “Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.”

with a slight preposition + article + noun counted as “with … slight”

In this reading “Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.”

All words in this reading · 81

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

Adalo

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

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When the youth's footsteps echoed on the sandy slope of the hillock, she paused in her work and bent forward to listen; then nodding, murmured under her breath: "That's why she slipped away."

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

benchnounUS /bentʃ/

a long seat for more than one person

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

bentnounUS /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

cloaknounUS /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

Don't

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

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

drawnadjectiveUS /drɔːn/

showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/

past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

escapedadjectiveUS /ɪˈskeɪpt/

having escaped, especially from confinement

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

footstepsnounUS /ˈfʊtsteps/

plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

garmentnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənt/

an article of clothing

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

HailverbUS /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

hillocknounUS /ˈhɪlək/

a small natural hill

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

interruptedadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈʌptɪd/

discontinued temporarily

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

locksnounUS /lɑːks/

plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

motionnounUS /ˈmoʊʃən/

the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

motionlessadjectiveUS /ˈmoʊʃənləs/

not in physical motion

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

noddingadjectiveUS /ˈnɑːdɪŋ/

having branches or flower heads that bend downward

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

pausedverbUS /pɔːzd/

past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

pausingverbUS /ˈpɔːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

regularadjectiveUS /ˈreɡjələr/

in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/

of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

slightnounUS /slaɪt/

a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

slippedverbUS /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

slopenounUS /sloʊp/

an elevated geological formation

stirredadjectiveUS /stɜːrd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

sunshinenounUS /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

the rays of the sun

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

That's

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

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

ThinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

Waldrun

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

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Thin locks of beautiful white hair escaped from beneath the edge of the brown cloak drawn over her head; her hands alone stirred with a slight, regular motion.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

wrappedadjectiveUS /ræpt/

covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak

From this reading An old woman, wrapped in a dark garment, sat almost motionless upon the bench in the warm sunshine.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading "Don't be frightened--it is I--" "Adalo, the young noble," interrupted the old woman.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading "Hail to you, Waldrun!" said the youth, pausing before her.

youth'snounUS /juːθs/

possessive form of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)

Chapter 4 of A Captive of the Roman Eagles by Felix Dahn holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 A Captive of the Roman Eagles contain?

Chapter 4 holds 122 sentences of A Captive of the Roman Eagles, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of A Captive of the Roman Eagles by Felix Dahn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 A Captive of the Roman Eagles?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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.

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Yes. All 4834 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32220 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #32220, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 402 minutes of reading across 967 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Captive of the Roman Eagles

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Captive of the Roman Eagles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Source: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Captive of the Roman Eagles; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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