Chapter 1 of Manon Lescaut is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Manon Lescaut is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Why did he love her? Curious fool, be still! Is human love the fruit of human will? BYRON. Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
Chapter 1 of Manon Lescaut is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading “BYRON.”
French actor and cabaret singer (1888-1972)
From this reading “Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Curious fool, be still!”
the act of departing
From this reading “Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.”
a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
From this reading “Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Curious fool, be still!”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “Is human love the fruit of human will?”
a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power
From this reading “Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Curious fool, be still!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading BYRON.
French actor and cabaret singer (1888-1972)
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Curious fool, be still!
the act of departing
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Why did he love her?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading Curious fool, be still!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why did he love her?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Why did he love her?
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
and nothing more
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Why did he love her?
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power
From this reading Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the Chevalier des Grieux.
not in physical motion
From this reading Curious fool, be still!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why did he love her?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Is human love the fruit of human will?
Chapter 1 of Manon Lescaut by abbé Prévost holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 1 holds 149 sentences of Manon Lescaut, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Manon Lescaut by abbé Prévost exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 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.
Common questions about reading Manon Lescaut by abbé Prévost on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2620 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #468 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #468, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 218 minutes of reading across 524 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Manon Lescaut section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Manon Lescaut 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 Manon Lescaut, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
