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A Simple Soul
A Simple Soul

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Simple Soul is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Simple Soul
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.
Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.
Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.
She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.
She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Simple Soul

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Simple Soul is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.
/laɪk ˈevəri ˈʌðər ˈwʊmən ʃiː hæd hæd æn əˈfer ʌv ðə hɑːrt/
Line 2
Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.
/hɜːr ˈfɑːðər huː wɑːz ə ˈmeɪsən wɑːz kɪld baɪ ˈfɑːlɪŋ frʌm ə ˈskæfəldɪŋ/
Line 3
Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.
/ðen hɜːr ˈmʌðər daɪd ənd hɜːr ˈsɪstərz went ðer ˈdɪfərənt weɪz ə ˈfɑːrmər tʊk hɜːr ɪn ənd waɪl ʃiː wɑːz kwaɪt smɔːl let hɜːr kiːp kaʊz ɪn ðə fiːldz/
Line 4
She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.
Line 5
She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

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.

cows noun US /kaʊz/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading “Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.”

mason noun US /ˈmeɪsən/

American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)

From this reading “Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.”

poultry noun US /ˈpoʊltri/

a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl

From this reading “She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.”

rags noun US /ræɡz/

plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading “She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.”

scaffolding noun US /ˈskæfəldɪŋ/

a system of scaffolds

From this reading “Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.”

sous noun US /suːz/

plural of “sou” — a former French coin of low denomination; often used of any small amount of money

From this reading “She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.”

tended verb US /ˈtendɪd/

past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined

From this reading “She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.”

theft noun US /θeft/

the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

From this reading “She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

affairnounUS /əˈfer/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

beatenadjectiveUS /ˈbiːtən/

formed or made thin by hammering

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

cladadjectiveUS /klæd/

wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

commitverbUS /kəˈmɪt/

perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

cowsnounUS /kaʊz/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

differentadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfərənt/

unlike in nature or quality or form or degree

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

dismissedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsmɪst/

having lost your job

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

fallingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlɪŋ/

decreasing in amount or degree

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

farmverbUS /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

farmernounUS /ˈfɑːrmər/

a person who operates a farm

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

fellow-workers

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

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

fieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

finallyadverbUS /ˈfaɪnəli/

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

jealousadjectiveUS /ˈdʒeləs/

showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

killedverbUS /kɪld/

past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

LikeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

masonnounUS /ˈmeɪsən/

American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

masternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

offencenoun

the action of attacking an enemy

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

poultrynounUS /ˈpoʊltri/

a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

ragsnounUS /ræɡz/

plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

scaffoldingnounUS /ˈskæfəldɪŋ/

a system of scaffolds

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

servicenounUS /ˈsɜːrvəs/

work done by one person or group that benefits another

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

sistersnounUS /ˈsɪstərz/

plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

slightestadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪtəst/

superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

sousnounUS /suːz/

plural of “sou” — a former French coin of low denomination; often used of any small amount of money

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

tendedverbUS /ˈtendɪd/

past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

theftnounUS /θeft/

the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

waysnounUS /weɪz/

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading She took service on another farm where she tended the poultry; and as she was well thought of by her master, her fellow-workers soon grew jealous.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading She was clad in miserable rags, beaten for the slightest offence and finally dismissed for a theft of thirty sous which she did not commit.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Then her mother died and her sisters went their different ways; a farmer took her in, and while she was quite small, let her keep cows in the fields.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Her father, who was a mason, was killed by falling from a scaffolding.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Like every other woman, she had had an affair of the heart.

Chapter 2 of A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 2 of A Simple Soul contain?

Chapter 2 holds 155 sentences of A Simple Soul, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 2 of A Simple Soul?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Simple Soul

Common questions about reading A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Simple Soul?

Yes. All 626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Simple Soul is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1253, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Simple Soul take to read?

About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Simple Soul section by section

How to work through A Simple Soul section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Simple Soul to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Simple Soul

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Simple Soul, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Century
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Housewives
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pont-l
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Eveque
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.