Chapter 26 of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
August 22. I could resist no longer. I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning. Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window. I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
Chapter 26 of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “August 22.”
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.”
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.”
the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading “I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.”
American finch whose male has yellow body plumage in summer
From this reading “Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.”
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading “I could resist no longer.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading August 22.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading August 22.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could resist no longer.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
American finch whose male has yellow body plumage in summer
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could resist no longer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning.
for more time
From this reading I could resist no longer.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
not any; not one
From this reading I could resist no longer.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading I could resist no longer.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
in or at the place that
From this reading I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where I felt its heart beat.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window.
Chapter 26 of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De by Guy de Maupassant holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 26 holds 171 sentences of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 26 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 Selection from the Writings of Guy De by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4604 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #593 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #593, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 383 minutes of reading across 921 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Selection from the Writings of Guy De section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of A Selection from the Writings of Guy De 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 Selection from the Writings of Guy De, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
