Chapter 1 of The Valley of the Kings is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Valley of the Kings is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
J.M.DENT & SONS. Ltd. "Woe on you, mothers of nothing! May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!" The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
Chapter 1 of The Valley of the Kings is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading “The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.”
an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
From this reading “J.M.DENT & SONS.”
strip the skin off
From this reading “May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"”
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “"Woe on you, mothers of nothing!”
the arrangement of the body and its limbs
From this reading “The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.”
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading “May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"”
the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)
From this reading “The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.”
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading “"Woe on you, mothers of nothing!”
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 The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
Muslim name for the one and only God
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
From this reading J.M.DENT & SONS.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
strip the skin off
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading J.M.DENT & SONS.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ltd.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading J.M.DENT & SONS.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
the arrangement of the body and its limbs
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading J.M.DENT & SONS.
the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)
From this reading The mother of Iskender held the doorway of her little house in a posture of spitting defiance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading May the scourge of Allah flay you as you go!"
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Woe on you, mothers of nothing!
Chapter 1 of The Valley of the Kings by Marmaduke William Pickthall holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of The Valley of the Kings, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Valley of the Kings by Marmaduke William Pickthall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Valley of the Kings by Marmaduke William Pickthall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3590 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24744 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24744, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 299 minutes of reading across 718 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Valley of the Kings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Valley of the Kings 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 Valley of the Kings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
