Chapter 8 of Father Goriot is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Father Goriot is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene. “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her. “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke. “Yes, indeed. I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
Chapter 8 of Father Goriot is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading ““I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.”
plural of “blunder” — an embarrassing mistake
From this reading “I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.”
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading “I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.”
Austrian general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession (1663-1736)
From this reading ““Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading ““I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.”
someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows
From this reading “I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading ““You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.”
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 I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
plural of “blunder” — an embarrassing mistake
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
Austrian general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession (1663-1736)
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Yes, indeed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
express in words
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
precisely as stated
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Ah! that is what I meant to say!” said Eugene.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I am a novice, and my blunders will set every one against me, if you do not give me your counsel.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, indeed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You must have been very much in the way,” said Mme. de Beauseant, smiling as she spoke.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I met Mme. de Restaud at your ball, and this morning I went to see her.
Chapter 8 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 8 holds 180 sentences of Father Goriot, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 8 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.
