Chapter 31 of Peter and Alexis is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Peter and Alexis is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The monastery was abandoned. The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock. In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled. Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers. It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
Chapter 31 of Peter and Alexis is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading “The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.”
past form of “construct” — make by combining materials and parts
From this reading “It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.”
a small natural hill
From this reading “The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.”
plural of “log” — a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
From this reading “It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.”
the residence of a religious community
From this reading “The monastery was abandoned.”
plural of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.”
(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
From this reading “In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.”
from that place or that time
From this reading “Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.”
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 “It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.”
In this reading “The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.”
In this reading “In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.”
In this reading “In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.”
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 In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading The monastery was abandoned.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
move towards
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
past form of “construct” — make by combining materials and parts
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
a small natural hill
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
plural of “log” — a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
the residence of a religious community
From this reading The monastery was abandoned.
plural of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
not any; not one
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The monastery was abandoned.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The monks had fled like ants from their ruined hillock.
from that place or that time
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thence they could observe the approach of the soldiers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was an ancient building made of dry logs, so constructed as to give no opportunity for escape from the flames.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The monastery was abandoned.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the chapel, which stood on a mound apart, the Self-burners had assembled.
Chapter 31 of Peter and Alexis by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky holds 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 31 holds 377 sentences of Peter and Alexis, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Peter and Alexis by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 31 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 Peter and Alexis by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9975 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61235 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61235, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1995 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peter and Alexis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Peter and Alexis 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 Peter and Alexis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
