Chapter 23 of Madame Claire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Madame Claire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter. "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks. "This," she answered, displaying a letter. "The most disgusting thing's happened." "What is it?
Chapter 23 of Madame Claire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading “"The most disgusting thing's happened."”
-ing form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading “"This," she answered, displaying a letter.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
possessive form of “noel” — period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
plural of “sock” — hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee
From this reading “"What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.”
an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
From this reading “"What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.”
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
From this reading “"The most disgusting thing's happened."”
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading “"What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.”
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 “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
In this reading “"The most disgusting thing's happened."”
In this reading “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
In this reading “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
(rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul)
In this reading “Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.”
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 "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading "The most disgusting thing's happened."
-ing form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
to come or go into
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "The most disgusting thing's happened."
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "The most disgusting thing's happened."
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
possessive form of “noel” — period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
plural of “sock” — hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
From this reading "The most disgusting thing's happened."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This," she answered, displaying a letter.
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Judy knocked on Noel's bedroom door before dinner the following evening, and was invited to enter.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
which person or people
From this reading "What's up?" asked Noel, who was sorting ties and socks.
Chapter 23 of Madame Claire by Susan Ertz holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 23 holds 404 sentences of Madame Claire, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Madame Claire by Susan Ertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 23 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.
