Chapter 3 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see. "I have these now," he said softly. "Soon I shall have every world at my command. Will you marry me?" The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
Chapter 3 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.”
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.”
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading “"Soon I shall have every world at my command.”
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading “The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.”
take in marriage
From this reading “Will you marry me?"”
with low volume
From this reading “"I have these now," he said softly.”
make steady
From this reading “The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.”
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 “The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.”
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 The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
having hair of a dark color
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
take in marriage
From this reading Will you marry me?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Will you marry me?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
with low volume
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
in the near future
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
make steady
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "I have these now," he said softly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Mercurian's eyes were like a rattlesnake's as he held out his two hands for her to see.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you marry me?"
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The dark-haired woman lit her cigarette calmly, her hand steady.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Soon I shall have every world at my command.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you marry me?"
Chapter 3 of The Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 3 holds 398 sentences of The Citadel of Death, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 3 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 The Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63213 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63213, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Citadel of Death section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Citadel of Death 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 The Citadel of Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
