Chapter 20 of Eve and David is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Eve and David is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Your letter to David was a forgery. It is in my possession. What would Henriette say in a court of law? I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew. “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
Chapter 20 of Eve and David is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “What would Henriette say in a court of law?”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading ““Your letter to David was a forgery.”
a copy that is represented as the original
From this reading ““Your letter to David was a forgery.”
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.”
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading “What would Henriette say in a court of law?”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “It is in my possession.”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.”
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 “Your letter to David was a forgery.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
a copy that is represented as the original
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is in my possession.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is in my possession.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is in my possession.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It is in my possession.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading It is in my possession.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
express in words
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “You want something more of me?” cried Cérizet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
a Caucasian
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading What would Henriette say in a court of law?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I do not want to ruin you,” he added hastily, seeing how white Cérizet’s face grew.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Your letter to David was a forgery.
Chapter 20 of Eve and David by Honoré de Balzac holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 20 holds 163 sentences of Eve and David, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Eve and David by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 20 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, unabridged. 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.
