Fata Morgana

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Fata Morgana is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By J. André Castaigne • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

A BANQUET ON THE SAWDUST Poufaille and Phil were now friends again—really they had been so for some time, ever since the day when Phil had taken to Poufaille Ethel’s order for a picture.

Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

“Good old Phil!”

Poufaille exclaimed; and Phil answered: “Good old Poufaille!”

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIV Reading 1/56

Fata Morgana

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Fata Morgana is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/56 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

A BANQUET ON THE SAWDUST Poufaille and Phil were now friends again—really they had been so for some time, ever since the day when Phil had taken to Poufaille Ethel’s order for a picture.

Line 2

Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

Line 3

The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

Line 4

“Good old Phil!”

Line 5

Poufaille exclaimed; and Phil answered: “Good old Poufaille!”

Learner Dictionary

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.

banquet noun US /ˈbæŋkwət/

a ceremonial dinner party for many people

From this reading “A BANQUET ON THE SAWDUST Poufaille and Phil were now friends again—really they had been so for some time, ever since the day when Phil had taken to Poufaille Ethel’s order for a picture.”

incapable adjective US /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/

(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability

From this reading “Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.”

nursing noun US /ˈnɜːrsɪŋ/

the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm

From this reading “Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.”

picture noun US /ˈpɪktʃər/

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

received adjective US /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading “Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.”

sawdust noun US /ˈsɔːdʌst/

fine particles of wood made by sawing wood

squeezed verb US /skwiːzd/

past form of “squeeze” — to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

From this reading “The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.”

wrath noun US /ræθ/

intense anger (usually on an epic scale)

From this reading “Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

some time adjective + noun

In this reading “A BANQUET ON THE SAWDUST Poufaille and Phil were now friends again—really they had been so for some time, ever since the day when Phil had taken to Poufaille Ethel’s order for a picture.”

open arms verb + noun

In this reading “Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.”

since the day preposition + article + noun counted as “since … day”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A BANQUET ON THE SAWDUST Poufaille and Phil were now friends again—really they had been so for some time, ever since the day when Phil had taken to Poufaille Ethel’s order for a picture.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading Poufaille exclaimed; and Phil answered: “Good old Poufaille!”

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

BANQUETnounUS /ˈbæŋkwət/

a ceremonial dinner party for many people

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

copains

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

Ethel's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading Poufaille exclaimed; and Phil answered: “Good old Poufaille!”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading “Good old Phil!”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

incapableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/

(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

nursingnounUS /ˈnɜːrsɪŋ/

the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “Good old Phil!”

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

other's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

Phil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

picturenounUS /ˈpɪktʃər/

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

Poufaille

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

SAWDUSTnounUS /ˈsɔːdʌst/

fine particles of wood made by sawing wood

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

squeezedverbUS /skwiːzd/

past form of “squeeze” — to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The two _copains_ squeezed each other’s hands.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

wrathnounUS /ræθ/

intense anger (usually on an epic scale)

From this reading Poufaille was incapable of nursing wrath, and received Phil with open arms.

Chapter 24 of Fata Morgana by J. André Castaigne holds 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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.

What does chapter 24 of Fata Morgana contain?

Chapter 24 holds 282 sentences of Fata Morgana, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of Fata Morgana by J. André Castaigne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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.

How do I study chapter 24 of Fata Morgana?

Work through the 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 57 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.

Can chapter 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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.

Questions about reading Fata Morgana

Common questions about reading Fata Morgana by J. André Castaigne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Fata Morgana?

Yes. All 6808 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Fata Morgana is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Fata Morgana take to read?

About 567 minutes of reading across 1362 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Fata Morgana section by section

How to work through Fata Morgana section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

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Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Fata Morgana

Words and structures a reader meets early in Fata Morgana, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Z-arts: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fata Morgana; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Daybreak: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fata Morgana; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Longwill: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fata Morgana; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fata Morgana; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXIV

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Can chapter 24 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Fata Morgana

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Vocabulary met early in Fata Morgana