Chapter 3 of Cousin Pons is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Cousin Pons is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a heartless speech, was it not? Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation? “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added. “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?” Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
Chapter 3 of Cousin Pons is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading “It was a heartless speech, was it not?”
with respect to private feelings
From this reading “Pons quivered inwardly at the question.”
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading “Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?”
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading ““How much to I owe you for this little trifle?””
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading “Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?”
United States coloratura soprano (born in France) (1904-1976)
From this reading “Pons quivered inwardly at the question.”
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading “Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?”
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading ““How much to I owe you for this little trifle?””
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 was a heartless speech, was it not?
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
(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 Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading It was a heartless speech, was it not?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
with respect to private feelings
From this reading Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a heartless speech, was it not?
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was a heartless speech, was it not?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
the action of attacking an enemy
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
United States coloratura soprano (born in France) (1904-1976)
From this reading Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pons quivered inwardly at the question.
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading It was a heartless speech, was it not?
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “How much to I owe you for this little trifle?”
precisely as stated
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a heartless speech, was it not?
belonging to which person
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
the words that are spoken
From this reading Did not those few words deny all merit to the pains taken for her by the cousin whose one offence lay in the fact that he was a poor relation?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But it is very kind of you, cousin,” she added.
Chapter 3 of Cousin Pons by Honoré de Balzac holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 3 holds 150 sentences of Cousin Pons, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Cousin Pons by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 3 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 Pons by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5291 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1856 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1856, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cousin Pons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Cousin Pons 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 Pons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
