Chapter 7 of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there! JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy! DR. PELLERIN A very pretty child. MME.
Chapter 7 of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 “approach” — ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation
a baby bed with sides and rockers
From this reading “Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!”
third-person singular of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!”
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!”
plural of “lift” — the act of giving temporary assistance
From this reading “JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!”
a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
From this reading “Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!”
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 Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
anew
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
plural of “approach” — ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
a youthful male person
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
a young person of either sex
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
a baby bed with sides and rockers
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
death of a person
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
third-person singular of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
plural of “lift” — the act of giving temporary assistance
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MME.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PELLERIN A very pretty child.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading PELLERIN A very pretty child.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
in or at that place or location
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading JEAN [_approaches the cradle and lifts the little curtain, takes up the child and kisses it on the mouth; then lays it down again_] He is a splendid boy!
precisely as stated
From this reading PELLERIN A very pretty child.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Madame Flache, the midwife--the nurse--[_indicates the cradle with a grave gesture_] and there!
Chapter 7 of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales by Guy de Maupassant holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9161 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9161, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 388 minutes of reading across 932 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales 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 Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
