Chapter 12 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie. "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe. He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded. That was ill done, for he had been betrayed." "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
Chapter 12 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
having had the head cut off
From this reading “He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.”
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."”
of great mass; huge and bulky
From this reading “"Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.”
in this place or thing or document
From this reading “"Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.”
an unjust act
From this reading “"Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.”
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading “"And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.”
a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading “"Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.”
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading “"And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.”
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 He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
having had the head cut off
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
of great mass; huge and bulky
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
a man of refinement
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
in this place or thing or document
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
an unjust act
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
author of satirical attacks on medieval scholasticism (1494-1553)
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
on the contrary
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was ill done, for he had been betrayed."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was put to death, but being a gentleman he was beheaded.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Ah, sire!" replied Rabelais, "herein we see the injustice of the Gargantuan tribe.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what became of the shrew-mouse?" said the king, waking from his reverie.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You go rather far, my good man," said the king.
Chapter 12 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 by Honoré de Balzac holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 12 holds 109 sentences of Droll Stories — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Droll Stories — Volume 2 by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 12 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
