Chapter 10 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure. But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other. Understand me thoroughly. The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute. I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
Chapter 10 of Modeste Mignon is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 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.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.”
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.”
come into possession of
From this reading “I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.”
try to get or reach
From this reading “I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.”
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading “Understand me thoroughly.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
engage in
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
expressed without speech
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
come into possession of
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
by chance
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
try to get or reach
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The soul speaks to God and asks him for many things; he is mute.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading Understand me thoroughly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Understand me thoroughly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
the act of creating written works
From this reading But perhaps some day we shall find nothing but pleasure in writing to each other.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I seek to obtain in you the answers that God does not make to me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading To Monsieur de Canalis: My Friend,--Your letter gives me as much pain as pleasure.
Chapter 10 of Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 holds 172 sentences of Modeste Mignon, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 10 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.
