Chapter 1 of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc. "Curious affair, isn't it?" "Very." "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal. What's your theory--eh?"
Chapter 1 of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “"Curious affair, isn't it?"”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “"Curious affair, isn't it?"”
provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion
From this reading “Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.”
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading “Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.”
plural of “sinner” — a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading “Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “What's your theory--eh?"”
United States writer (born in 1925)
From this reading “"Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.”
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.
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 "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Curious affair, isn't it?"
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "Curious affair, isn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's your theory--eh?"
provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Curious affair, isn't it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Curious affair, isn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
plural of “sinner” — a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading What's your theory--eh?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very."
United States writer (born in 1925)
From this reading "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's your theory--eh?"
a Caucasian
From this reading Author of "In White Raiment," "If Sinners Entice Thee," "The Room of Secrets," etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, you're a bit of a mystery-monger, Vidal.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What's your theory--eh?"
Chapter 1 of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery by William Le Queux holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Place of Dragons: A Mystery by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40434 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40434, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 395 minutes of reading across 950 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Place of Dragons: A Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Place of Dragons: A Mystery 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 Place of Dragons: A Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
