Chapter 7 of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"UNLUCKY IN LOVE." And now the days began to be sad. They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned. The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them. The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
Chapter 7 of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.”
freed from illusion
From this reading “They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.”
-ing form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.”
past form of “tolerate” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.”
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading “The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.”
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading “"UNLUCKY IN LOVE."”
not held or filled or in use
From this reading “The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
freed from illusion
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
-ing form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "UNLUCKY IN LOVE."
a message received and understood
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
plural of “inhabitant” — a person who inhabits a particular place
From this reading The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
for more time
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "UNLUCKY IN LOVE."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
not any; not one
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
a state of social isolation
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The inhabitants of Chavignolles avoided them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They studied no longer, fearing lest they might be disillusioned.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And now the days began to be sad.
past form of “tolerate” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading "UNLUCKY IN LOVE."
not held or filled or in use
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The newspapers they tolerated gave them no information; and so their solitude was unbroken, their time completely unoccupied.
Chapter 7 of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 by Gustave Flaubert holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 7 holds 266 sentences of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 by Gustave Flaubert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 7 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 Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4933 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25014 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25014, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 411 minutes of reading across 987 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1 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 Bouvard and Pécuchet — part 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
