Zula

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Zula is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By H. Esselstyn Lindley • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

BRIGHT HOPES.

It was June's seventeenth birthday.

She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

The day was not as bright as June wished it to be, for the sun would peep out now and then to stay but a moment, then hide behind a cloud, which seemed to waft a breeze softly down on June's bright, happy face.

"I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XIV Reading 1/35

Zula

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Zula is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

BRIGHT HOPES.

/braɪt hoʊps/

Line 2

It was June's seventeenth birthday.

/ɪt wɑːz dʒuːnz ˈsevənˈtiːnθ ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/

Line 3

She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

/ʃiː stʊd ɑːn ðə brɔːd vərˈændə ˈɡeɪzɪŋ ʌp æt ðə skaɪ/

Line 4

/ðə deɪ wɑːz nɑːt æz braɪt æz dʒuːn wɪʃt ɪt tuː biː fɔːr ðə sʌn wʊd piːp aʊt naʊ ənd ðen tuː steɪ bʌt ə ˈmoʊmənt ðen haɪd bɪˈhaɪnd ə klaʊd wɪtʃ siːmd tuː wɑːft ə briːz ˈsɔːftli daʊn ɑːn dʒuːnz braɪt ˈhæpi feɪs/

Line 5

"I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

/aɪ hoʊp ɪt wɪl biː ə ˈplezənt ˈiːvnɪŋ ʃiː sed hæf əˈlaʊd fɔːr ɪt ɪz soʊ mʌtʃ ˈnaɪsər tuː hæv ə ˈpɑːrti wen ðə ˈweðər ɪz faɪn ənd aɪ ʃæl ˈɔːlmoʊst biː aʊt ʌv ˈpeɪʃəns ɪf ɪt reɪnz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

birthday noun US /ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/

an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)

From this reading “It was June's seventeenth birthday.”

June's noun US /dʒuːnz/

possessive form of “june” — the month following May and preceding July

From this reading “It was June's seventeenth birthday.”

nicer adjective US /ˈnaɪsər/

comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading “"I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."”

peep verb US /piːp/

look furtively

From this reading “The day was not as bright as June wished it to be, for the sun would peep out now and then to stay but a moment, then hide behind a cloud, which seemed to waft a breeze softly down on June's bright, happy face.”

rains noun US /reɪnz/

plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

seventeenth adjective US /ˈsevənˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the sixteenth in position

From this reading “It was June's seventeenth birthday.”

veranda noun US /vərˈændə/

a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)

From this reading “She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.”

waft verb US /wɑːft/

be driven or carried along, as by the air

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

peep out verb + adjective

In this reading “The day was not as bright as June wished it to be, for the sun would peep out now and then to stay but a moment, then hide behind a cloud, which seemed to waft a breeze softly down on June's bright, happy face.”

hide behind verb + particle

pleasant evening adjective + noun

In this reading “"I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."”

much nicer adverb + adjective counted as “much nice”

stood on verb + particle

In this reading “She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.”

at the sky preposition + article + noun counted as “at … sky”

In this reading “She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The day was not as bright as June wished it to be, for the sun would peep out now and then to stay but a moment, then hide behind a cloud, which seemed to waft a breeze softly down on June's bright, happy face.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

aloudadverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

using the voice; not silently

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

birthdaynounUS /ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/

an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)

From this reading It was June's seventeenth birthday.

breezenounUS /briːz/

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

BRIGHTadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading BRIGHT HOPES.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

cloudverbUS /klaʊd/

make overcast or cloudy

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

gazingverbUS /ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

HOPESnounUS /hoʊps/

plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading BRIGHT HOPES.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was June's seventeenth birthday.

JunenounUS /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

June'snounUS /dʒuːnz/

possessive form of “june” — the month following May and preceding July

From this reading It was June's seventeenth birthday.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

niceradjectiveUS /ˈnaɪsər/

comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

patiencenounUS /ˈpeɪʃəns/

good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

peepverbUS /piːp/

look furtively

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

rainsnounUS /reɪnz/

plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

seventeenthadjectiveUS /ˈsevənˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the sixteenth in position

From this reading It was June's seventeenth birthday.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

skynounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

softlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːftli/

with low volume

stayverbUS /steɪ/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

verandanounUS /vərˈændə/

a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)

From this reading She stood on the broad veranda gazing up at the sky.

waftverbUS /wɑːft/

be driven or carried along, as by the air

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was June's seventeenth birthday.

weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "I hope it will be a pleasant evening," she said, half aloud, "for it is so much nicer to have a party when the weather is fine, and I shall almost be out of patience if it rains."

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

Chapter 14 of Zula by H. Esselstyn Lindley holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 14 of Zula contain?

Chapter 14 holds 176 sentences of Zula, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Zula by H. Esselstyn Lindley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

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Each of the 36 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Vocabulary met early in Zula

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Chapter XIV

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