Chapter 32 of Deirdre is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Deirdre is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly. There is plenty of food.” “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle. “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears. They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
Chapter 32 of Deirdre is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
a small recess opening off a larger room
From this reading ““And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading ““Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.”
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading ““And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading ““We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.”
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading “They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.”
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.”
a full supply
From this reading “There is plenty of food.””
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading ““Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.”
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.
In this reading ““We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.”
In this reading “They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.”
In this reading ““We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.”
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 They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
a small recess opening off a larger room
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading There is plenty of food.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is plenty of food.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There is plenty of food.”
a full supply
From this reading There is plenty of food.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And there are beds in the alcove,” said Ainnle.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is plenty of food.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
having come into contact
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Still,” said Ardan, “we are not treated too badly.
(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 “We shall sleep well to-night,” said Deirdre, and she burst into tears.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading They sat dumb, each feeling as if a chill wind had touched him.
Chapter 32 of Deirdre by James Stephens holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 32 holds 97 sentences of Deirdre, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of Deirdre by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 32 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.
