Chapter 3 of Zoraida is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Zoraida is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down. "_Zut_!" he replied, laughing. "_Eh bien_, old fellow! It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot. If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
Chapter 3 of Zoraida is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
inflected form of “bag” — capture or kill, as in hunting
From this reading “If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."”
talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
an association of criminals
From this reading “It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.”
occurring by chance
From this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
inflected form of “pin” — to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading “It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.”
-ing form of “thank” — express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
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.
In this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
In this reading “"_Eh bien_, old fellow!”
cause to overturn from an upright or normal position
In this reading “It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.”
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 If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
inflected form of “bag” — capture or kill, as in hunting
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Eh bien_, old fellow!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Eh bien_, old fellow!
a boy or man
From this reading "_Eh bien_, old fellow!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
an association of criminals
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "_Zut_!" he replied, laughing.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
immediately past
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "_Zut_!" he replied, laughing.
occurring by chance
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "_Eh bien_, old fellow!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
and nothing more
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
above and across; more than
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
inflected form of “pin” — to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading It was the only man among old Absalam's gang that I could pot.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "_Zut_!" he replied, laughing.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
-ing form of “thank” — express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
which person or people
From this reading It was our last chat together, and I had been thanking him for the lucky shot that had knocked over the Arab who had pinned me down.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If they had given me a chance, I would have bagged one or two more, but, _diable_! they didn't."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Zut_!" he replied, laughing.
Chapter 3 of Zoraida by William Le Queux holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 3 holds 405 sentences of Zoraida, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Zoraida by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 3 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 Zoraida by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 567 minutes of reading across 1362 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Zoraida section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Zoraida 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 Zoraida, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
