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Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete
Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.
Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?
Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.
Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.
But they are monstrous, are they not?
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.
Line 2
Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?
Line 3
Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.
Line 4
Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.
Line 5
But they are monstrous, are they not?
/bʌt ðeɪ ɑːr ˈmɑːnstrəs ɑːr ðeɪ nɑːt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

armchair noun US /ˈɑːrmtʃer/

chair with a support on each side for arms

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

carelessly adverb US /ˈkerləsli/

without care or concern

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

laces noun US /ˈleɪsəz/

plural of “lace” — a cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment)

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

monstrous adjective US /ˈmɑːnstrəs/

abnormally large

From this reading “But they are monstrous, are they not?”

newspaper noun US /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

raising noun US /ˈreɪzɪŋ/

the event of something being raised upward

From this reading “Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.”

slippers noun US /ˈslɪpərz/

plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

squares noun US /skwerz/

plural of “square” — (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon

From this reading “MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

armchairnounUS /ˈɑːrmtʃer/

chair with a support on each side for arms

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

believedverbUS /bɪˈliːvd/

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But they are monstrous, are they not?

carelesslyadverbUS /ˈkerləsli/

without care or concern

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

clocknounUS /klɑːk/

a timepiece that shows the time of day

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

dressing-gown

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

lacesnounUS /ˈleɪsəz/

plural of “lace” — a cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment)

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

leaningadjectiveUS /ˈliːnɪŋ/

departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

MADAMEnounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

MONSIEURnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/

abnormally large

From this reading But they are monstrous, are they not?

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

newspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

raisingnounUS /ˈreɪzɪŋ/

the event of something being raised upward

From this reading Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.

readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/

the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

slippersnounUS /ˈslɪpərz/

plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

squaresnounUS /skwerz/

plural of “square” — (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Madame--Such things have taken place, have they not, dear?

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Madame--There, well I should never have believed it.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.

workingadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/

actively engaged in paid work

From this reading MONSIEUR and MADAME are quietly sitting together--The clock has just struck ten--MONSIEUR is in his dressing-gown and slippers, is leaning back in an armchair and reading the newspaper--MADAME is carelessly working squares of laces.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Monsieur--(without raising his eyes)--Yes, my dear.

Chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete by Gustave Droz holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete contain?

Chapter 21 holds 132 sentences of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete by Gustave Droz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete

Common questions about reading Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete by Gustave Droz on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete?

Yes. All 4038 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3926 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3926, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete take to read?

About 336 minutes of reading across 808 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete section by section

How to work through Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete

Words and structures a reader meets early in Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Devil
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remember
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notwithstanding
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dearly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.