Chapter 21 of The Eternal City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Eternal City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way. "So my friend is false to me, is he? Very well, I'll be revenged." He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on. "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
Chapter 21 of The Eternal City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.”
German pope from 1049 to 1054 whose papacy was the beginning of papal reforms in the 11th century (1002-1054)
From this reading “Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.”
experiencing delirium
From this reading “Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.”
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading “"So my friend is false to me, is he?”
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading “He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.”
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading “He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.”
past form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.”
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 Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
anew
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Very well, I'll be revenged."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
German pope from 1049 to 1054 whose papacy was the beginning of papal reforms in the 11th century (1002-1054)
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
experiencing delirium
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Very well, I'll be revenged."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
the sound of laughing
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
a particular point in time
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
past form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Very well, I'll be revenged."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So my friend is false to me, is he?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He reeled a little and the letter dropped from his hand, floated a moment in the air, and fell to the ground a pace or two farther on.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very well, I'll be revenged."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Very well, I'll be revenged."
belonging to which person
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Bruno, whose face was convulsed with agony, began to laugh in a delirious way.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, by God, I'll be revenged," he cried, and he laughed again.
Chapter 21 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 21 holds 409 sentences of The Eternal City, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 21 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 Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eternal City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Eternal City 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 Eternal City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
