Chapter 20 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe! Rodolphe! Ah! Rodolphe! dear little Rodolphe!” Midnight struck.
Chapter 20 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
befitting a young child
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “Midnight struck.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
recurring again and again
From this reading “At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “Midnight struck.”
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 At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
befitting a young child
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
dearly loved
From this reading Rodolphe! dear little Rodolphe!”
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Rodolphe! dear little Rodolphe!”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Midnight struck.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
recurring again and again
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Midnight struck.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
an affirmative
From this reading At regular intervals he answered, “Yes--Yes--” She had passed her hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, despite the big tears which were falling, “Rodolphe!
Chapter 20 of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 20 holds 179 sentences of Madame Bovary, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 20 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 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6429 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2413 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2413, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 535 minutes of reading across 1286 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Madame Bovary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Madame Bovary 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 Madame Bovary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
