Chapter 4 of Domestic Peace is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Domestic Peace is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But she loves her husband.” “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.” “But she is married.” “A whimsical objection!” “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
Chapter 4 of Domestic Peace is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
equally
From this reading ““Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!””
the act of conquering
From this reading ““A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.””
plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading ““Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!””
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading ““A whimsical objection!””
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading ““A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.””
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
From this reading ““Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!””
remorse for your past conduct
From this reading ““Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!””
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
From this reading ““A whimsical objection!””
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 “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
equally
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But she loves her husband.”
the act of conquering
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “But she loves her husband.”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “But she loves her husband.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But she is married.”
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “But she loves her husband.”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “But she is married.”
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading “A whimsical objection!”
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
remorse for your past conduct
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But she loves her husband.”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
not in physical motion
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of conquering.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
From this reading “A whimsical objection!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Ah!” said the Countess, with a bitter smile, “you punish us alike for our faults and our repentance!”
Chapter 4 of Domestic Peace by Honoré de Balzac holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 4 holds 145 sentences of Domestic Peace, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Domestic Peace by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 4 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 Domestic Peace by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1411 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1411, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 51 minutes of reading across 123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Domestic Peace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Domestic Peace 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 Domestic Peace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
