Chapter 20 of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral. But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill. My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree. The doctor was called in. I had pneumonia.
Chapter 20 of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
placed in a grave
From this reading “DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.”
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading “My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.”
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.”
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading “DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.”
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading “DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.”
respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma (excluding the bronchi) with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants
From this reading “I had pneumonia.”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.”
move upward
From this reading “But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
later than; following
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
placed in a grave
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The doctor was called in.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor was called in.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma (excluding the bronchi) with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants
From this reading I had pneumonia.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
move upward
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
carry out
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading My chest seemed to burn like poor little Pretty-Heart's after he had spent the night in the tree.
precisely as stated
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DISASTER Vitalis had to be buried the next day, and M. Acquin promised to take me to the funeral.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the next day I could not rise from my bed, for in the night I was taken very ill.
Chapter 20 of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) by Hector Malot holds 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 20 holds 272 sentences of Nobody's boy (Sans famille), unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) by Hector Malot exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 20 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 Nobody's boy (Sans famille) by Hector Malot on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6636 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25102 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25102, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 553 minutes of reading across 1328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nobody's boy (Sans famille) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Nobody's boy (Sans famille) 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 Nobody's boy (Sans famille), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
