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The Island of Fantasy: A Romance
The Island of Fantasy: A Romance

Chapter XXXV · A Council of War

Chapter XXXV of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance, “A Council of War,” is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Island of Fantasy: A Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!
Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!
The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!
With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!
Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Island of Fantasy: A Romance

Chapter XXXV · A Council of War

Chapter XXXV of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance, “A Council of War,” is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!
/ðə sneɪk ɪz skɑːtʃt bʌt ɪz nɑːt ded bɪˈwer ðə sner/
Line 2
Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!
/suːn wɪl ɪt lɪft əˈɡen ɪts hed bɪˈwer nɔːr der/
Line 3
The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!
/ðə fæŋz kənˈteɪn ðer ˈpɔɪzən stɪl ðə ˈwuːndɪd ˈkriːtʃər jet meɪ kɪl bɪˈwer teɪk ker/
Line 4
With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!
/wɪð ˈkɔːʃəs spiːtʃ ɡʊd ˈkaʊnsəl teɪk bɪˈwer ðə sner/
Line 5
Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!
/nɔːr trʌst ðə ˈsiːmɪŋ ˈlaɪfləs sneɪk bɪˈwer nɔːr der/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Beware verb US /bɪˈwer/

be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to

From this reading “The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!”

cautious adjective US /ˈkɔːʃəs/

showing careful forethought

From this reading “With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!”

contain verb US /kənˈteɪn/

include or contain; have as a component

From this reading “The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!”

fangs noun US /fæŋz/

plural of “fang” — a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon

From this reading “The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!”

lifeless adjective US /ˈlaɪfləs/

deprived of life; no longer living

From this reading “Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!”

scotched verb US /skɑːtʃt/

past form of “scotch” — hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

From this reading “The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!”

snake noun US /sneɪk/

limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous

From this reading “The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!”

snare noun US /sner/

something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

From this reading “The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

take care verb + noun

be careful, prudent, or watchful

In this reading “The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!”

All words in this reading · 38

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

BewareverbUS /bɪˈwer/

be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

cautiousadjectiveUS /ˈkɔːʃəs/

showing careful forethought

From this reading With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!

containverbUS /kənˈteɪn/

include or contain; have as a component

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

councilnounUS /ˈkaʊnsəl/

a body serving in an administrative capacity

From this reading With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!

creaturenounUS /ˈkriːtʃər/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

dareverbUS /der/

take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

fangsnounUS /fæŋz/

plural of “fang” — a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

killverbUS /kɪl/

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

lifelessadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪfləs/

deprived of life; no longer living

From this reading Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!

liftverbUS /lɪft/

raise from a lower to a higher position

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

poisonverbUS /ˈpɔɪzən/

spoil as if by poison

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

scotchedverbUS /skɑːtʃt/

past form of “scotch” — hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

seemingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːmɪŋ/

appearing as such but not necessarily so

From this reading Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!

snakenounUS /sneɪk/

limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

snarenounUS /sner/

something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

SoonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The snake is scotched, but is not dead, Beware! the snare!

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

trustnounUS /trʌst/

something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)

From this reading Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, Beware! nor dare!

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Soon will it lift again its head, Beware! nor dare!

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With cautious speech, good council take, Beware! the snare!

woundednounUS /ˈwuːndɪd/

people who are wounded

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading The fangs contain their poison still, The wounded creature yet may kill, Beware! take care!

Chapter 35 of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance by Fergus Hume holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 35 of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance contain?

Chapter 35 holds 188 sentences of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 35 of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

How do I study chapter 35 of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

Can chapter 35 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 35 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.

Questions about reading The Island of Fantasy: A Romance

Common questions about reading The Island of Fantasy: A Romance by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance?

Yes. All 8603 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #56177, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Island of Fantasy: A Romance take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1721 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Island of Fantasy: A Romance section by section

How to work through The Island of Fantasy: A Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Island of Fantasy: A Romance

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Island of Fantasy: A Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Version
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cannot
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Represent
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Certain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Fantasy: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.