Chapter 1 of Eve and David is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Eve and David is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Eve and David is part three of a trilogy. Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets. Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien. Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris. For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
Chapter 1 of Eve and David is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading “Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.”
plural of “center” — an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading “Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.”
possessive form of “david” — patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
third-person singular of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading “Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.”
plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading “Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.”
of or associated with a province
From this reading “Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.”
plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
From this reading “For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.”
a set of three literary or dramatic works related in subject or theme
From this reading “Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.”
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 Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
in addition
From this reading Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.
plural of “center” — an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
possessive form of “david” — patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
third-person singular of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Part one also introduces Eve’s brother, Lucien.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
on one occasion
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
of or associated with a province
From this reading Part two, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, centers on Lucien’s life in Paris.
plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For part three the action once more returns to Eve and David in Angoulême.
a set of three literary or dramatic works related in subject or theme
From this reading Eve and David is part three of a trilogy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Eve and David’s story begins in part one, Two Poets.
Chapter 1 of Eve and David by Honoré de Balzac holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 1 holds 167 sentences of Eve and David, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Eve and David by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 1 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 Eve and David by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3392 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1639 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1639, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 282 minutes of reading across 679 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Eve and David section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Eve and David 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 Eve and David, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
