Chapter 14 of Zoraida is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Zoraida is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He hesitated. With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection. "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly. "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged. "Would my absence be of long duration?"
Chapter 14 of Zoraida is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
superlative of “deadly” — causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “"Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.”
marked for certain death
From this reading “"Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.”
the period of time during which something continues
From this reading “"Would my absence be of long duration?"”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.”
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading “"Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “"Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.”
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading “"Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.”
with resolute determination
From this reading “With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.”
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 “"Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.”
In this reading “With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.”
In this reading “"Would my absence be of long duration?"”
In this reading “With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.”
go away from a place
In this reading “"Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.”
In this reading “With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.”
In this reading “"Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.”
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.
the state of being absent
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
superlative of “deadly” — causing or capable of causing death
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
marked for certain death
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
the period of time during which something continues
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hesitated.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading He hesitated.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
go away from a place
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
not in physical motion
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
with resolute determination
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
an old word for “to”
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Darest thou leave this City of the Doomed to go forth in search of what may appear unto thee but the merest phantom?" he asked slowly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With his dark, gleaming eyes fixed steadfastly upon me, he remained motionless in deep reflection.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would my absence be of long duration?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Zoraida is in deadliest peril," I urged.
Chapter 14 of Zoraida by William Le Queux holds 401 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 14 holds 401 sentences of Zoraida, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Zoraida by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 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 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.
