Chapter 2 of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
/Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused. “Whom did you say? … the Princess Ziska? … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay! Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
Chapter 2 of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “/Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.”
having vision overcome temporarily by or as if by intense light
From this reading “/Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.”
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading “Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.”
by chance
From this reading “Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “… the Princess Ziska?”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “/Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “… No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
having vision overcome temporarily by or as if by intense light
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Whom did you say?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
not any; not one
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
by chance
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading … the Princess Ziska?
express in words
From this reading “Whom did you say?
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
not in physical motion
From this reading /Gervase/ stared at him, still dazzled and confused.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading … the Princess Ziska?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Whom did you say?
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, I think I have seen her … somewhere,--in Paris, possibly.
but in spite of that
From this reading … No, I don’t know her … Yet, stay!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Whom did you say?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading … the Princess Ziska?
Chapter 2 of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul by Marie Corelli holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 2 holds 115 sentences of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul by Marie Corelli exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 2 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 Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul by Marie Corelli on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3344 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5079 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5079, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 669 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul 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 Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
