Chapter 16 of A Woman of Thirty is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Woman of Thirty is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he. “No,” said the other, now in the saddle. “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.” “It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis. “On an old man? pshaw!
Chapter 16 of A Woman of Thirty is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
plural of “banknote” — a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)
From this reading ““He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.””
an administrative unit of government
From this reading ““He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.””
coins made of gold
From this reading ““He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.””
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading ““It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.”
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading ““Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.”
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading ““It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.”
put a saddle on
From this reading ““No,” said the other, now in the saddle.”
still full
From this reading ““He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.””
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “On an old man? pshaw!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
plural of “banknote” — a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
coins made of gold
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “On an old man? pshaw!
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading “It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “On an old man? pshaw!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “On an old man? pshaw!
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “On an old man? pshaw!
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading “It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.
put a saddle on
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No,” said the other, now in the saddle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.
still full
From this reading “He left the bureau full of banknotes and gold untouched.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was revenge, then,” said the Marquis.
which person or people
From this reading “Is it known who the murderer is?” asked he.
Chapter 16 of A Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 16 holds 150 sentences of A Woman of Thirty, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 16 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 Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1950, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Woman of Thirty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A Woman of Thirty 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 Woman of Thirty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
