Chapter 28 of Father Goriot is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Father Goriot is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father. “You are angels, both of you.” “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm. “She is more merciless than my husband. Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
Chapter 28 of Father Goriot is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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 “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading ““You are angels, both of you.””
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading ““No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.”
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading ““Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.”
set down according to a plan
From this reading ““No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.”
having or showing no mercy
From this reading ““She is more merciless than my husband.”
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading “Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!””
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading ““No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.”
plural of “virtue” — the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
From this reading “Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!””
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 Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
Having no one else present.
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “You are angels, both of you.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are angels, both of you.”
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
the two together, not just one
From this reading “You are angels, both of you.”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
set down according to a plan
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
having or showing no mercy
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
not any; not one
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You are angels, both of you.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “She is more merciless than my husband.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “No. Let me alone,” cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Children, children, kiss each other!” cried the father.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
plural of “virtue” — the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are angels, both of you.”
Chapter 28 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 28 holds 174 sentences of Father Goriot, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 28 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.
