Chapter 15 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly. "When they get together, they get very big ideas." "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs. And you will pay for your wine. It is too much.
Chapter 15 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
in an approving manner
From this reading “"Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.”
the state of manifesting goodwill and cooperation after being reconciled
From this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “"When they get together, they get very big ideas."”
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.”
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading “And you will pay for your wine.”
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.
your own wife
In this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
have as a guest
In this reading “And you will pay for your wine.”
In this reading “"Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.”
a small informal social gathering
In this reading “"When they get together, they get very big ideas."”
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 "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And you will pay for your wine.
in an approving manner
From this reading "Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
the state of manifesting goodwill and cooperation after being reconciled
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And you will pay for your wine.
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is too much.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is too much.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It is too much.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading And you will pay for your wine.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Surely," said Mme. Paulhat-Durand, approvingly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It is too much.
precisely as stated
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
at the time that
From this reading "When they get together, they get very big ideas."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading And you will pay for your wine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well," offered the old lady, in a tone of conciliation, "I will give you fifteen francs.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And you will pay for your wine.
Chapter 15 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 15 holds 424 sentences of A Chambermaid's Diary, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 15 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.
