Chapter 4 of Falcons of Narabedla is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Falcons of Narabedla is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why?" I asked thoughtlessly. Narayan's eyes froze me. "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life." * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
Chapter 4 of Falcons of Narabedla is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading “"To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."”
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading “Narayan's eyes froze me.”
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading “"To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."”
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 “"To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."”
In this reading “* * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.”
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 "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked thoughtlessly.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Narayan's eyes froze me.
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading Narayan's eyes froze me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked thoughtlessly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Narayan's eyes froze me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Narayan's eyes froze me.
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
in a thoughtless manner
From this reading I asked thoughtlessly.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
the act of using
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "To use that power," he said in a tense, controlled voice, "Took human life."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * Outside the door I could hear the noises of the camp; the light of their watch-fires crept in through the cracks.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?"
Chapter 4 of Falcons of Narabedla by Marion Zimmer Bradley holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 4 holds 426 sentences of Falcons of Narabedla, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Falcons of Narabedla by Marion Zimmer Bradley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 4 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 Falcons of Narabedla by Marion Zimmer Bradley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2172 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50566 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50566, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 181 minutes of reading across 435 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Falcons of Narabedla section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Falcons of Narabedla 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 Falcons of Narabedla, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
