Chapter 31 of Deirdre is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Deirdre is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But Conachúr had not retired. He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder. He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing. Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool. “Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.
Chapter 31 of Deirdre is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
serving as an essential component
From this reading “He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.”
a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading “He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.”
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading ““Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.”
in a humble manner
From this reading “Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.”
abnormally large
From this reading “He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.”
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading “But Conachúr had not retired.”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.”
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.
a glass or crystal globe used in crystal gazing by fortunetellers
In this reading “He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.”
In this reading “Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.”
In this reading “He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.”
In this reading “He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.”
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 Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
in addition
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Conachúr had not retired.
serving as an essential component
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Conachúr had not retired.
a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading “Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Conachúr had not retired.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
in a humble manner
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
abnormally large
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But Conachúr had not retired.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading But Conachúr had not retired.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Fill my cup,” said Conachúr.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He had stared into it for hours and had seen nothing.
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Lavarcham also was there, seated humbly on a stool.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was seated in the central room away in the heart of his monstrous palace, and the great crystal ball swung at his shoulder.
Chapter 31 of Deirdre by James Stephens holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 113 sentences of Deirdre, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Deirdre by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 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.
