Chapter 5 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day. The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification. So the year begins with a much needed rest. The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness. Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
Chapter 5 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
plural of “cafe” — a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold
From this reading “Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.”
plural of “fountain” — a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading “BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.”
the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
From this reading “The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.”
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading “The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.”
plural of “reunion” — a party of former associates who have come together again
From this reading “The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.”
plural of “rise” — a growth in strength or number or importance
From this reading “BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.”
plural of “shop” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.”
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.”
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 So the year begins with a much needed rest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
plural of “cafe” — a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold
From this reading Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
a social unit living together
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
plural of “fountain” — a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
a boisterous celebration; a merry festivity
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
plural of “reunion” — a party of former associates who have come together again
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
plural of “rise” — a growth in strength or number or importance
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
plural of “shop” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Shops are shut and the cafes are empty.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The glitter and racket of the streets gives place to a death-like stillness.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The night before is given up to family reunions, supper parties and every kind of jollification.
precisely as stated
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading So the year begins with a much needed rest.
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading BY THE SINGING FOUNTAINS Paris rises very late indeed on New Year's Day.
Chapter 5 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 5 holds 76 sentences of A Royal Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 5 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 A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27789 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27789, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Royal Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of A Royal Prisoner 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 A Royal Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
