Chapter 16 of Claude's Confession is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Claude's Confession is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance. We were then twelve years old. I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain. You were weak and timid. I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
Chapter 16 of Claude's Confession is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading “I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.”
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.”
plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading “REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.”
a new appraisal or evaluation
From this reading “REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.”
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading “You were weak and timid.”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “We were then twelve years old.”
any of several trees of the genus Platanus having thin pale bark that scales off in small plates and lobed leaves and ball-shaped heads of fruits
In this reading “I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.”
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 REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You were weak and timid.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
by chance
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
To recall to mind.
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
a new appraisal or evaluation
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading You were weak and timid.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading You were weak and timid.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I know not what united us; our weakness, perhaps.
a late time of life
From this reading We were then twelve years old.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I met you one October evening upon the college green, beneath the plane trees, near the little fountain.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading REMINISCENCES Let me regret, let me remember, let me review all my youth in a single glance.
Chapter 16 of Claude's Confession by Émile Zola holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 16 holds 87 sentences of Claude's Confession, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Claude's Confession by Émile Zola exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Claude's Confession by Émile Zola on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3129 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Claude's Confession section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Claude's Confession 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 Claude's Confession, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
