Chapter 12 of Pierrette is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Pierrette is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner. “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer. “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever? You are as gay as a lark. Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
Chapter 12 of Pierrette is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading ““Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.”
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading ““Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.”
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading ““On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?”
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading ““On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?”
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading ““On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “You are as gay as a lark.”
North American songbirds having a yellow breast
From this reading “You are as gay as a lark.”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading ““You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.”
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 “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
anew
From this reading Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
(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 “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
react verbally
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are as gay as a lark.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading You are as gay as a lark.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading You are as gay as a lark.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
North American songbirds having a yellow breast
From this reading You are as gay as a lark.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
by chance
From this reading Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Perhaps you have seen some one again?”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
express in words
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “Didn’t I tell you she put it all on to annoy us?” she cried, addressing her brother, and not waiting for Pierrette’s answer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “On the contrary, cousin, I have a sort of fever--” “Fever! what fever?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t appear to be ill now, mademoiselle,” said Sylvie at dinner.
Chapter 12 of Pierrette by Honoré de Balzac holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 12 holds 154 sentences of Pierrette, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Pierrette by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 12 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 Pierrette by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2396 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1704 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1704, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pierrette section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Pierrette 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 Pierrette, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
