Chapter 3 of Artists' Wives is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Artists' Wives is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?" I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume. And I cried, and cried. My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model. "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
Chapter 3 of Artists' Wives is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading “"What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"”
give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading “My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.”
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading “I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.”
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading “My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.”
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading “I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.”
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 My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading And I cried, and cried.
dearly loved
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
at any time
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
joined in matrimony
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
not any; not one
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "What! but it is abominable; no one ever told me about that before I was married!"
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading My mother, much moved, tried to console me, explained to me that it must have been a model.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Good heavens, dear child! what is the matter?"
in or at the place that
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I related to mama what I had seen, where this dreadful woman was, and in what costume.
Chapter 3 of Artists' Wives by Alphonse Daudet holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 3 holds 455 sentences of Artists' Wives, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Artists' Wives by Alphonse Daudet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 3 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 Artists' Wives by Alphonse Daudet on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22522, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 112 minutes of reading across 271 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Artists' Wives section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Artists' Wives 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 Artists' Wives, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
