Chapter 16 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Go on, go on,” said Valerie. “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.” “Only three! Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe. “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
Chapter 16 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 “attention” — the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading ““It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.””
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading ““There may be more!” retorted the Baron.”
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.”
plural of “flaunt” — the act of displaying something ostentatiously
From this reading ““It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.””
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading ““It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.””
a compact mass
From this reading ““It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.””
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading ““There may be more!” retorted the Baron.”
a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience
From this reading ““It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.””
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 “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
consider or hold as true
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
plural of “attention” — the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
every person
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
plural of “flaunt” — the act of displaying something ostentatiously
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Go on, go on,” said Valerie.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a compact mass
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
not any; not one
From this reading Can you discover no more?” asked Madame Marneffe.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Go on, go on,” said Valerie.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only three!
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Go on, go on,” said Valerie.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
make square
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There may be more!” retorted the Baron.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “Only three!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Go on, go on,” said Valerie.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It is that Crevel, that square lump of flesh and stupidity, is in love with you, and that you accept his attentions with so good a grace that the idiot flaunts his passion before everybody.”
Chapter 16 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 16 holds 193 sentences of Cousin Betty, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
