Chapter 3 of Zuleika Dobson is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Zuleika Dobson is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way. As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted. He sank, at length, into a deep silence. He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted. Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
Chapter 3 of Zuleika Dobson is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
From this reading “So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.”
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading “He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.”
directed downward
From this reading “He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.”
inflected form of “flag” — communicate or signal with a flag
From this reading “As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.”
the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern
From this reading “So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.”
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading “So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.”
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading “Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.”
a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
From this reading “Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.”
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 He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
directed downward
From this reading He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
inflected form of “flag” — communicate or signal with a flag
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
in a gradual manner
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
a projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He sank, at length, into a deep silence.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He sat with downcast eyes, utterly distracted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading So fierce was the conflict in him that his outward nonchalance gradually gave way.
a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
From this reading Suddenly, something fell, plump! into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As dinner drew to its close, his conversation with the wife of the Oriel don flagged and halted.
Chapter 3 of Zuleika Dobson by Max, Sir Beerbohm holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 182 sentences of Zuleika Dobson, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Zuleika Dobson by Max, Sir Beerbohm exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Zuleika Dobson by Max, Sir Beerbohm on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1845 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1845, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 500 minutes of reading across 1201 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Zuleika Dobson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Zuleika Dobson 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 Zuleika Dobson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
