Chapter 12 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, Monsieur le Baron.” “You go too fast,” said Hulot. “Have the goodness to hear me out. I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son. My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
Chapter 12 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading ““Yes, Monsieur le Baron.””
feelings of ardent love
From this reading “I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.”
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading “My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.”
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading ““Have the goodness to hear me out.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.”
a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution
From this reading “My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.”
the husband of your daughter
From this reading “I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.”
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 I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
(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 My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading “Yes, Monsieur le Baron.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
feelings of ardent love
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
yet to be or coming
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
ten 10s
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading “Yes, Monsieur le Baron.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
engage in
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Yes, Monsieur le Baron.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
a male human offspring
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
the husband of your daughter
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I cannot expect from a son-in-law such devotion as I look for from my son.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Have the goodness to hear me out.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future promotion: he will be a Minister, and will easily make good his two hundred thousand francs.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, Monsieur le Baron.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You go too fast,” said Hulot.
Chapter 12 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 12 holds 196 sentences of Cousin Betty, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 12 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 Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7747 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1749 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1749, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cousin Betty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Cousin Betty 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 Cousin Betty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
