Chapter 7 of Felicitas is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Felicitas is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Was it actually so? Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum? The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty. They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever. The gates were kept carefully shut.
Chapter 7 of Felicitas is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
in actual fact
From this reading “Was it actually so?”
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?”
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading “Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?”
a message received and understood
From this reading “They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.”
past form of “rack” — go at a rack
From this reading “The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.”
-ing form of “torment” — torment emotionally or mentally
From this reading “The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.”
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading “The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.”
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 “They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.”
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.
in actual fact
From this reading Was it actually so?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading The gates were kept carefully shut.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
at any time
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
a message received and understood
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it actually so?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The gates were kept carefully shut.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
past form of “rack” — go at a rack
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading The gates were kept carefully shut.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Was it actually so?
be standing; be upright
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Did the Germans stand indeed before the gates of Juvavum?
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
-ing form of “torment” — torment emotionally or mentally
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading The burghers racked their brains in tormenting uncertainty.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it actually so?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The gates were kept carefully shut.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading They could learn nothing more at present of what had happened without the walls; the mouth that might have given farther information was silent for ever.
Chapter 7 of Felicitas by Felix Dahn holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 7 holds 165 sentences of Felicitas, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Felicitas by Felix Dahn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 7 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 Felicitas by Felix Dahn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2412 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32222 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32222, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 483 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Felicitas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Felicitas 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 Felicitas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
