Chapter 4 of Father Goriot is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Father Goriot is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“His daughters, as he calls them, eh? There are a dozen of them.” “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.” “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket. Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
Chapter 4 of Father Goriot is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading ““His daughters, as he calls them, eh?”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.””
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading ““His daughters, as he calls them, eh?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “There are a dozen of them.””
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading “Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.””
above your head; in the sky
From this reading ““There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.”
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading ““There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.”
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading ““There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.”
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 There are a dozen of them.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are a dozen of them.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading There are a dozen of them.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
the organ of sight
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
and nothing more
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
in motion
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There are a dozen of them.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Just keep an eye on the milk, Christophe; don’t let the cat get at it.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “His daughters, as he calls them, eh?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are a dozen of them.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
which person or people
From this reading “I have never been to more than two--the two who came here.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “There is madame moving overhead; I shall have to go, or she will raise a fine racket.
Chapter 4 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 4 holds 141 sentences of Father Goriot, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 4 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 Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5569 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1237 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1237, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Father Goriot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Father Goriot 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 Father Goriot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
