Chapter 5 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!” “Trumped!” “Cut!” “How are honors?” “Two to four.”
Chapter 5 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading “An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!””
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading ““Cut!””
plural of “honor” — a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading ““How are honors?””
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!””
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading “An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!””
plural of “spade” — a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading “An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!””
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!””
past form of “trump” — produce a sound as if from a trumpet
From this reading ““Trumped!””
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “How are honors?”
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
having a secret or hidden meaning
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “Cut!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “Two to four.”
plural of “honor” — a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading “How are honors?”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How are honors?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
and nothing more
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
plural of “spade” — a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Two to four.”
past form of “trump” — produce a sound as if from a trumpet
From this reading “Trumped!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Two to four.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An hour went by in solemn stillness broken only by the cabalistic phrases of the whist-players: “Spades!”
Chapter 5 of Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 5 holds 119 sentences of Modeste Mignon, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3894 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1482, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 779 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Modeste Mignon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Modeste Mignon 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 Modeste Mignon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
