Chapter 2 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence: "I, Monsieur?" "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet." "Oh! Monsieur!"
Chapter 2 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “"Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."”
only a very short time before
From this reading “"Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."”
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading “Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “"I, Monsieur?"”
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading “Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."”
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 “Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
opinion or judgment
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
only a very short time before
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "I, Monsieur?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without raising my eyes, I assumed an air of innocence:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Surely, you; it can hardly be my feet."
Chapter 2 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 holds 432 sentences of A Chambermaid's Diary, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44303 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44303, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1510 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Chambermaid's Diary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of A Chambermaid's Diary 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 A Chambermaid's Diary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
