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A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She sat down.
There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.
The two men avoided each other’s eyes.
“I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.
“Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Distinguished Provincial at Paris

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She sat down.
/ʃiː sæt daʊn/
Line 2
There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.
Line 3
The two men avoided each other’s eyes.
Line 4
“I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.
Line 5
“Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

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.

anger noun US /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading “There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.”

avoided verb US /əˈvɔɪdɪd/

past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading “The two men avoided each other’s eyes.”

baggage noun US /ˈbæɡədʒ/

cases used to carry belongings when traveling

From this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

embarrassment noun US /ɪmˈberəsmənt/

the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

From this reading “There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.”

fancy noun US /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

From this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

feels noun US /fiːlz/

plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness

From this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

shameless adjective US /ˈʃeɪmləs/

feeling no shame

From this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

unhappy adjective US /ənˈhæpi/

experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent

From this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

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.

first time adjective + noun

In this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

two men noun + noun

In this reading “The two men avoided each other’s eyes.”

unhappy girl adjective + noun

In this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

play with verb + particle

In this reading ““Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

angernounUS /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

avoidedverbUS /əˈvɔɪdɪd/

past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

baggagenounUS /ˈbæɡədʒ/

cases used to carry belongings when traveling

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

Camusot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

Coralie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She sat down.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

embarrassmentnounUS /ɪmˈberəsmənt/

the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

feelsnounUS /fiːlz/

plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

Lucien

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

other's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading She sat down.

shamelessadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪmləs/

feeling no shame

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She sat down.

suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The two men avoided each other’s eyes.

unhappyadjectiveUS /ənˈhæpi/

experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was no anger in her face, no embarrassment; she looked from Camusot to Lucien.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading “Don’t play with me, Coralie; I was wrong——” “I am either a shameless baggage that has taken a sudden fancy; or a poor, unhappy girl who feels what love really is for the first time, the love that all women long for.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “I will believe nothing that you do not wish me to believe,” said Camusot.

Chapter 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris by Honoré de Balzac holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris contain?

Chapter 9 holds 401 sentences of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris?

Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 81 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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.

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Vocabulary met early in A Distinguished Provincial at Paris

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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