Chapter 14 of The Inferno is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Inferno is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was alone. It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table. My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields. I lifted my eyes. The stars studded the heavens above.
Chapter 14 of The Inferno is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading “My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.”
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading “My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “The stars studded the heavens above.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.”
held up in the air
From this reading “I lifted my eyes.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “The stars studded the heavens above.”
dotted or adorned with or as with studs or nailheads; usually used in combination
From this reading “The stars studded the heavens above.”
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The stars studded the heavens above.
Having no one else present.
From this reading I was alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I lifted my eyes.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading The stars studded the heavens above.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was alone.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
held up in the air
From this reading I lifted my eyes.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The stars studded the heavens above.
dotted or adorned with or as with studs or nailheads; usually used in combination
From this reading The stars studded the heavens above.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading It was late at night, and I was sitting at my table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My lamp was buzzing like summer in the fields.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was alone.
Chapter 14 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 14 holds 104 sentences of The Inferno, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 14 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 Inferno by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inferno section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Inferno 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 Inferno, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
