Chapter 3 of Melmoth Reconciled is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Melmoth Reconciled is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What is all this about?” said she. “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love! Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.” “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke. They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
Chapter 3 of Melmoth Reconciled is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.””
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading ““I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.”
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading ““Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading ““Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading ““I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading ““I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.”
from that place or that time
From this reading “They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.”
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 “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
on one occasion
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “I should kill you,” and Castanier smiled as he spoke.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
from that place or that time
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They sat down to the dinner table, and went thence to the Gymnase.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is all this about?” said she.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Come, now, promise me that if I had a lover you would still love me as a father; that would be love!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Come, now, promise it at once, and give us your fist upon it.”
Chapter 3 of Melmoth Reconciled by Honoré de Balzac holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 3 holds 170 sentences of Melmoth Reconciled, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Melmoth Reconciled by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 3 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 Melmoth Reconciled by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 874 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1277, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 72 minutes of reading across 175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Melmoth Reconciled section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Melmoth Reconciled 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 Melmoth Reconciled, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
