Chapter 5 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then did she see angels?" asked one. "Have they a behind?" asked another. "Certainly not," said Ursula. "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal." Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
Chapter 5 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “"Then did she see angels?" asked one.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Certainly not," said Ursula.”
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “"Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “"Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.”
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading “"Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “"Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."”
the necessary means (especially financial means)
From this reading “"Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."”
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 "Have they a behind?" asked another.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Have they a behind?" asked another.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Have they a behind?" asked another.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly not," said Ursula.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have they a behind?" asked another.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Certainly not," said Ursula.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Certainly not," said Ursula.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then did she see angels?" asked one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have they a behind?" asked another.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Certainly not," said Ursula.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Thereupon they went off to bed, some alone, others nearly alone.
the necessary means (especially financial means)
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you not know that one general meeting day, God having ordered them to be seated, they answered Him that they had not the wherewithal."
Chapter 5 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 by Honoré de Balzac holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 5 holds 102 sentences of Droll Stories — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 5 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 — Volume 2 by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1763 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2318 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2318, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Droll Stories — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Droll Stories — Volume 2 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 — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
