Chapter 16 of Lost Illusions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Lost Illusions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him. That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist." "Can you do as you like?" Michel asked quickly. "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
Chapter 16 of Lost Illusions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
not to be dispensed with; essential
From this reading “"So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.”
cause to arise
From this reading “That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."”
a writer for newspapers and magazines
From this reading “That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."”
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading “"So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “"When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “"When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.”
being of use or service
From this reading “"When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.”
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 "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Can you do as you like?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Michel asked quickly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can you do as you like?"
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Can you do as you like?"
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
not to be dispensed with; essential
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
cause to arise
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
a writer for newspapers and magazines
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Can you do as you like?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Michel asked quickly.
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
with speed
From this reading Michel asked quickly.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So far as one can when one is indispensable," said Lucien modestly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
being of use or service
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
at the time that
From this reading "When d'Arthez's book comes out," he said, turning to the three, "I am in a position to be useful to him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That thought in itself would induce me to remain a journalist."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Can you do as you like?"
Chapter 16 of Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 16 holds 411 sentences of Lost Illusions, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 16 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 Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11797 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13159 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13159, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2360 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lost Illusions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Lost Illusions 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 Lost Illusions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
