Chapter 5 of Madame Claire is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Madame Claire is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her. "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh. However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past. Your letters get better and better. I wish I could write like you.
Chapter 5 of Madame Claire is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
gotten under control
From this reading “"Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “"_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.”
comparative of “free” — not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
From this reading “However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.”
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “"_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.”
the literary culture
From this reading “Your letters get better and better.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “"Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.”
with little or no delay
From this reading “"_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.”
possessive form of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading “"Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.”
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.
In this reading “However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.”
In this reading “However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.”
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 "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your letters get better and better.
react verbally
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
for the reason that
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Your letters get better and better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
gotten under control
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I wish I could write like you.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
dearly loved
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
comparative of “free” — not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Your letters get better and better.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
immediately past
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
the literary culture
From this reading Your letters get better and better.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I wish I could write like you.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
with little or no delay
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
possessive form of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However, I feel freer of them to-day than I have for some time past.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Old Stephen's" letter in answer to Madame Claire's second one, contained a great deal that was of interest to her.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish I could write like you.
produce a literary work
From this reading I wish I could write like you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I wish I could write like you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "_Dear Claire,_ "_I didn't answer your last as promptly as I wanted to because of the ills of the flesh.
Chapter 5 of Madame Claire by Susan Ertz holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 5 holds 268 sentences of Madame Claire, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Madame Claire by Susan Ertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 5 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 Claire by Susan Ertz on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63448 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63448, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 499 minutes of reading across 1200 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Madame Claire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Madame Claire 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 Claire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
