Chapter 6 of Gobseck is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Gobseck is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“‘Then is the Count actually dying?’ I asked. “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’ “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him: “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
Chapter 6 of Gobseck is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 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.
in actual fact
From this reading ““‘Then is the Count actually dying?’”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading ““‘Then is the Count actually dying?’”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading ““‘Then is the Count actually dying?’”
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading ““‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading ““‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’”
full of juice
From this reading ““‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’”
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading ““I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:”
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading ““‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’”
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 “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
in actual fact
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
full of juice
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
and nothing more
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
the force of workers available
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
and nothing more
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
carry out
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “‘Then is the Count actually dying?’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “I looked at my man, and said, by way of sounding him:
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘Just explain to me how it is that we, the Count and I, are the only men in whom you take an interest?’
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “‘That is possible,’ said Gobseck; ‘the winding up of his estate will be a juicy bit of business for you.’
Chapter 6 of Gobseck by Honoré de Balzac holds 170 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 6 holds 170 sentences of Gobseck, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Gobseck by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 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 6 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 Gobseck by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1389 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1389, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 97 minutes of reading across 234 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gobseck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Gobseck 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 Gobseck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
