Chapter 12 of International Short Stories: French is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of International Short Stories: French is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And as we understood, we burst out into tears. Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky: "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you. If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair! I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
Chapter 12 of International Short Stories: French is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading “If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!”
in a state of sleep
From this reading “If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!”
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “And as we understood, we burst out into tears.”
-ing form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:”
affording comfort or solace
From this reading “I have never dared expect such a consoling death.”
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “I have never dared expect such a consoling death.”
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading “"Do not spoil my joy, I beg of 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 I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
in a state of sleep
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
-ing form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
affording comfort or solace
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
at any time
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
and nothing more
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I have never dared expect such a consoling death.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If you only knew how happy it makes me, to fall asleep for ever in this armchair!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
look attentively
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading And as we understood, we burst out into tears.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Uncle Lazare continued, without ceasing to watch the sky:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do not spoil my joy, I beg of you.
Chapter 12 of International Short Stories: French by Francis J. (Francis Joseph) [Compiler] Reynolds holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 12 holds 409 sentences of International Short Stories: French, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of International Short Stories: French by Francis J. (Francis Joseph) [Compiler] Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 12 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 International Short Stories: French by Francis J. (Francis Joseph) [Compiler] Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10577 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10577, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1289 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through International Short Stories: French section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of International Short Stories: French 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 International Short Stories: French, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
