Chapter 5 of Salammbo is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Salammbo is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara. But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through. The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley. It was an exposed place. “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
Chapter 5 of Salammbo is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
From this reading “But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.”
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.”
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading “The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.”
with no protection or shield
From this reading “It was an exposed place.”
-ing form of “form” — create (as an entity)
From this reading “The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.”
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.”
an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
From this reading “After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.”
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.”
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 But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
later than; following
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an exposed place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
with no protection or shield
From this reading It was an exposed place.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
-ing form of “form” — create (as an entity)
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
set up or found
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an exposed place.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
the act of departing
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
hear with intention
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was an exposed place.
an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Listen,” said Spendius, “and first of all fear nothing!
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading After leaving the gardens Matho and Spendius found themselves checked by the rampart of Megara.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
precisely as stated
From this reading The ground sloped downwards, forming a kind of very broad valley.
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 But they discovered a breach in the great wall and passed through.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was an exposed place.
Chapter 5 of Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert holds 320 sentences, grouped into 64 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 5 holds 320 sentences of Salammbo, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 320 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 5 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 Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1290 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1290, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1049 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Salammbo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Salammbo 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 Salammbo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
