Chapter 23 of Beatrix is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Beatrix is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall. “Only one,” replied Du Halga. “Was she free?” “No,” exclaimed the chevalier. “Ah! how I suffered!
Chapter 23 of Beatrix is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 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.
French actor and cabaret singer (1888-1972)
From this reading ““No,” exclaimed the chevalier.”
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading ““Was she free?””
held dear
From this reading ““Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.”
a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
From this reading ““Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.”
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading ““Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.”
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading ““Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.”
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading ““Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.”
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading ““Ah! how I suffered!”
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 “Ah! how I suffered!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
French actor and cabaret singer (1888-1972)
From this reading “No,” exclaimed the chevalier.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Only one,” replied Du Halga.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “No,” exclaimed the chevalier.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “Was she free?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Only one,” replied Du Halga.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah! how I suffered!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Ah! how I suffered!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
held dear
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” exclaimed the chevalier.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Only one,” replied Du Halga.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only one,” replied Du Halga.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Only one,” replied Du Halga.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
express in words
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Was she free?”
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading “Ah! how I suffered!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Was she free?”
at the time that
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you loved many women in your life?” he asked him on the second occasion, when, as seamen say, they sailed in company along the mall.
Chapter 23 of Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 23 holds 154 sentences of Beatrix, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5394 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1957 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1957, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beatrix section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Beatrix 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 Beatrix, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
