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L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3
L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:
"Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.
I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!
I bowed to them; did they mention me?
Did they recognize me?
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:
Line 2
"Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.
Line 3
I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!
/aɪ sɔː ðem ˌmaɪˈself ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ðə ˈlɪtəl wʌn wɑːz ˈdraɪvɪŋ fɔːr ˈpoʊniz ənd wɪð æn əˈmaʊnt ʌv ɑːˈdæs.ə.t̬i/
Line 4
I bowed to them; did they mention me?
/aɪ baʊd tuː ðem dɪd ðeɪ ˈmenʃən miː/
Line 5
Did they recognize me?
/dɪd ðeɪ ˈrekəɡnaɪz miː/

Learner Dictionary

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.

audacity noun US /ɑːˈdæs.ə.t̬i/

A willingness to take bold risks; insolent and daring boldness that defies all authority.

From this reading “I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!”

barracks noun US /ˈbærəks/

plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel

From this reading “The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:”

describe verb US /dɪˈskraɪb/

give a description of

From this reading “"Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.”

drill verb US /drɪl/

make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool

From this reading “The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:”

driving adjective US /ˈdraɪvɪŋ/

having the power of driving or impelling

From this reading “I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!”

Jean noun US /dʒiːn/

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

From this reading “The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:”

ponies noun US /ˈpoʊniz/

plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States

From this reading “I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!”

recognize verb US /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/

accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority

From this reading “Did they recognize me?”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

allowedverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

amountnounUS /əˈmaʊnt/

a quantity of money

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

audacitynounUS /ɑːˈdæs.ə.t̬i/

A willingness to take bold risks; insolent and daring boldness that defies all authority.

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

barracksnounUS /ˈbærəks/

plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

bowedadjectiveUS /baʊd/

of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow

From this reading I bowed to them; did they mention me?

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

describeverbUS /dɪˈskraɪb/

give a description of

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading I bowed to them; did they mention me?

dinner-party

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

dismountverb

alight from (a horse)

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

drillverbUS /drɪl/

make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

drivingadjectiveUS /ˈdraɪvɪŋ/

having the power of driving or impelling

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

JeannounUS /dʒiːn/

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

Lavardens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I bowed to them; did they mention me?

mentionverbUS /ˈmenʃən/

make reference to

From this reading I bowed to them; did they mention me?

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

PaulnounUS /pɔːl/

United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

poniesnounUS /ˈpoʊniz/

plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

QuickadjectiveUS /kwɪk/

accomplished rapidly and without delay

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

recognizeverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/

accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority

From this reading Did they recognize me?

returningadjectiveUS /rɪˈtɜːrnɪŋ/

tending to return to an earlier state

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

scarcelyadverbUS /ˈskersli/

only a very short time before

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading I bowed to them; did they mention me?

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardens waiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time to dismount, and the moment he had him alone:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I saw them myself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and with an amount of audacity!

yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Quick," said he, "describe your, dinner-party of yesterday.

Chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 by Ludovic Halévy holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 contain?

Chapter 1 holds 161 sentences of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 by Ludovic Halévy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3

Common questions about reading L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 by Ludovic Halévy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3?

Yes. All 1011 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3956 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3956, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 take to read?

About 84 minutes of reading across 203 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 section by section

How to work through L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3

Words and structures a reader meets early in L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Morning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Returning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Drill
A word that appears in the opening chapter of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Found
A word that appears in the opening chapter of L'Abbe Constantin — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.