Chapter 26 of Deirdre is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Deirdre is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You understand?” said the king. “I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham. “First you are to send Conall to me. Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn. In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
Chapter 26 of Deirdre is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.””
a half of an hour
From this reading “In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.””
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading ““I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham.”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading ““First you are to send Conall to me.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading ““You understand?” said the king.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.””
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.
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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
a half of an hour
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “You understand?” said the king.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You understand?” said the king.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Half an hour afterwards you shall send Cúchulinn.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You understand?” said the king.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “First you are to send Conall to me.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “You understand?” said the king.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “I understand well, master,” said Lavarcham.
at the time that
From this reading In another half-hour you shall send me Fergus, and when he comes you shall see that Borach is in waiting.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You understand?” said the king.
Chapter 26 of Deirdre by James Stephens holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 26 holds 196 sentences of Deirdre, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Deirdre by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 26 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 Deirdre by James Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3093 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Deirdre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Deirdre 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 Deirdre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
