Chapter 6 of Droll Stories — Complete is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Droll Stories — Complete is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Who is there?” said the dyer. “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane. “I heard a scratching,” said the good man. “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife. The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
Chapter 6 of Droll Stories — Complete is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading ““We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.”
someone whose job is to dye cloth
From this reading ““Who is there?” said the dyer.”
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading “The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.”
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading ““What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.”
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading ““I heard a scratching,” said the good man.”
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading “The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.”
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 “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
later than; following
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
decorative cover for a bed
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
someone whose job is to dye cloth
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading “I heard a scratching,” said the good man.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The good husband put his head back upon the pillow after having been gently embraced by his spouse.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We shall have rain to-morrow; it’s the cat,” replied his wife.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
which person or people
From this reading “Who is there?” said the dyer.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “What is the matter my little one?” said his wife, lifting her nose above the counterpane.
Chapter 6 of Droll Stories — Complete by Honoré de Balzac holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 6 holds 419 sentences of Droll Stories — Complete, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Droll Stories — Complete by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 6 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 Droll Stories — Complete by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13260 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13260, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Droll Stories — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Droll Stories — Complete 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 Droll Stories — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
