Chapter 1 of The Dream is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Dream is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The earth trembled. The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued. Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty. Sabina flees from the paternal roof. Paula abandons her five children.
Chapter 1 of The Dream is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 24/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 116–120
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 “abandon” — the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry
From this reading “Paula abandons her five children.”
past form of “ensue” — issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end
From this reading “The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.”
plural of “executioner” — an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant
From this reading “Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.”
third-person singular of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading “Sabina flees from the paternal roof.”
belonging to or inherited from one's father
From this reading “Sabina flees from the paternal roof.”
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading “Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.”
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading “The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.”
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.”
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.
plural of “abandon” — the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry
From this reading Paula abandons her five children.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
having undergone the Christian ritual of baptism
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Paula abandons her five children.
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The earth trembled.
past form of “ensue” — issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
plural of “executioner” — an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Paula abandons her five children.
third-person singular of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading Sabina flees from the paternal roof.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Sabina flees from the paternal roof.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Paula abandons her five children.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
belonging to or inherited from one's father
From this reading Sabina flees from the paternal roof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paula abandons her five children.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Sabina flees from the paternal roof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sabina flees from the paternal roof.
plural of “saint” — a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The earth trembled.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading The earth trembled.
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Temple of Diana was struck by lightning and destroyed; and the people revolting, civil wars ensued.
which person or people
From this reading Then often the executioners asked to be baptised; kings knelt at the feet of saints in rags who had devoted themselves to poverty.
Chapter 1 of The Dream by Émile Zola holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 1 holds 231 sentences of The Dream, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Dream by Émile Zola exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 1 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 Dream by Émile Zola on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4020 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9499 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9499, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 335 minutes of reading across 804 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dream section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Dream 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 Dream, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
