Chapter 31 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing. On her throat a weight which stifled her. In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips. Over her eyes a heavy bandage. Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
Chapter 31 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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 “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading “Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.”
a piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body
From this reading “Over her eyes a heavy bandage.”
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading “THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.”
cotton trousers made of corduroy cloth
From this reading “Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.”
prevent from speaking out
From this reading “In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.”
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading “THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.”
shut off to passage or view or hindered from action
From this reading “In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.”
plural of “wrist” — a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading “Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.”
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 On her throat a weight which stifled her.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
a piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body
From this reading Over her eyes a heavy bandage.
the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
confined by bonds
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
cotton trousers made of corduroy cloth
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Over her eyes a heavy bandage.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
prevent from speaking out
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Over her eyes a heavy bandage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
shut off to passage or view or hindered from action
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On her throat a weight which stifled her.
above and across; more than
From this reading Over her eyes a heavy bandage.
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
held in check with difficulty
From this reading On her throat a weight which stifled her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading On her throat a weight which stifled her.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading In her mouth a gag which obstructed her breathing and tore her lips.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
look attentively
From this reading THE DEATH WATCH In her ears an incessant buzzing.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading On her throat a weight which stifled her.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On her throat a weight which stifled her.
plural of “wrist” — a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading Her arms were bound at the wrists, her body was bruised by heavy thongs, and her ankles bleeding from the pressure of cords.
Chapter 31 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 31 holds 85 sentences of A Royal Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 31 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.
