Chapter 34 of Deirdre is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of Deirdre is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What do you hear, Ardan?” “Big feet, and a big lot of them.” “The doors are well secured?” “Every bolt is drawn.” “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
Chapter 34 of Deirdre is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading ““And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?””
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading ““Big feet, and a big lot of them.””
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading ““Every bolt is drawn.””
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading ““The doors are well secured?””
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading ““Every bolt is drawn.””
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading ““Big feet, and a big lot of them.””
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading ““The doors are well secured?””
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading ““And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?””
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you hear, Ardan?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “The doors are well secured?”
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “Every bolt is drawn.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you hear, Ardan?”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “The doors are well secured?”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “Every bolt is drawn.”
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Every bolt is drawn.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “What do you hear, Ardan?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Every bolt is drawn.”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
and nothing more
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading “The doors are well secured?”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The doors are well secured?”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Big feet, and a big lot of them.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
(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 “The doors are well secured?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you hear, Ardan?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “And the door we arranged for is left with only one bolt shot?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you hear, Ardan?”
Chapter 34 of Deirdre by James Stephens holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 34 holds 158 sentences of Deirdre, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of Deirdre by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 34 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.
