Chapter 14 of The Shame of Motley is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Shame of Motley is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested. Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind. “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last. “What is it daunts you? “How is the thing possible?” quoth I.
Chapter 14 of The Shame of Motley is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.”
come together
From this reading “AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.”
past form of “jostle” — make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving
From this reading “Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.”
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading “AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.”
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 AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What is it daunts you?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
come together
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How is the thing possible?” quoth I.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
unusual largeness in size or extent or number
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it daunts you?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it daunts you?
past form of “jostle” — make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
immediately past
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
a particular point in time
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Fear, amazement, and joy jostled one another for the possession of my mind.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “How is the thing possible?” quoth I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How is the thing possible?” quoth I.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
a special situation
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it daunts you?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AN ILL ENCOUNTER Speechless I stared at her a moment, so taken was I with the immensity of the thing that she suggested.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you look so, Lazzaro?” she exclaimed at last.
Chapter 14 of The Shame of Motley by Rafael Sabatini holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 215 sentences of The Shame of Motley, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Shame of Motley by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Shame of Motley by Rafael Sabatini on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3408 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3408, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shame of Motley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Shame of Motley 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 Shame of Motley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
