Chapter 27 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 XXVII
Chapter 27 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?” Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs. “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!” As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word): “Poor woman!
Chapter 27 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.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading ““What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?””
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading ““She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!””
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading “Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):”
an angry dispute
From this reading ““She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!””
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.”
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 “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
a bleak and desolate atmosphere
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
the act of departing
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
not any; not one
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor woman!
an angry dispute
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “She is going to discuss my quarrel with Celestine and Victorin, no doubt; but I will not give way!”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “Poor woman!
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading Crevel wondered as he mounted the stairs.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading As he went into the drawing-room, shown in by Louise, he said to himself as he noted the bareness of the place (Crevel’s word):
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading “What the devil can that worthy Baronne Hulot want of me?”
Chapter 27 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 27 holds 196 sentences of Cousin Betty, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 27 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.
