Chapter 34 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 XXXIV
Chapter 34 of Cousin Betty is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The other person is Madame Marneffe.” “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve. “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.” “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin. “How far have they got?”
Chapter 34 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.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading ““But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.””
be a hindrance or obstacle to
From this reading ““Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading ““The other person is Madame Marneffe.””
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading ““Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.”
a human being
From this reading ““The other person is Madame Marneffe.””
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading ““But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.””
plural of “shift” — an event in which something is displaced without rotation
From this reading ““But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.””
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading ““But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.””
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 “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading “How far have they got?”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “How far have they got?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “How far have they got?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
be a hindrance or obstacle to
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How far have they got?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
a human being
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I do not know,” said Madame de Saint-Esteve.
plural of “shift” — an event in which something is displaced without rotation
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The other person is Madame Marneffe.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How far have they got?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “But within three days I will be in a position to count her shifts.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Can you hinder the marriage?” asked Victorin.
Chapter 34 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 34 holds 193 sentences of Cousin Betty, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 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 34 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.
