Chapter 17 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach. "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?" "Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur. "In the first place, you are not women." "I am not women?
Chapter 17 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “"Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.”
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “"Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “"Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur.”
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading “"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “"Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.”
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 “"Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"”
In this reading “"In the first place, you are not women."”
In this reading “"What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.”
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 "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am not women?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "In the first place, you are not women."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "In the first place, you are not women."
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am not women?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "In the first place, you are not women."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "In the first place, you are not women."
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What?" said Madame, in a tone of gay reproach.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Oh! women?" chirped Monsieur.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is that the way one enters women's rooms, without knocking?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "In the first place, you are not women."
Chapter 17 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 17 holds 407 sentences of A Chambermaid's Diary, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 17 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.
