Chapter 8 of Poor Relations is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Poor Relations is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly. "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin. "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over." What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father! They knew him now for what he was.
Chapter 8 of Poor Relations is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “"If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.”
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!”
command against
From this reading “"Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin.”
at a previous time
From this reading “What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!”
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading “"He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."”
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading “What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!”
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading “What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “"He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."”
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 What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They knew him now for what he was.
command against
From this reading "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin.
at a previous time
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They knew him now for what he was.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They knew him now for what he was.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
and nothing more
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
above and across; more than
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
carry out
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They knew him now for what he was.
propel through the air
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Victorin.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They knew him now for what he was.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
in the company of; together with
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading What a change in children formerly so respectful, and kept so long by their mother in blind worship of their father!
the least favorable outcome
From this reading "He would take up some one else; and with her, at any rate, the worst outlay is over."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If only Madame Marneffe would throw him over!" said Hortense bitterly.
Chapter 8 of Poor Relations by Honoré de Balzac holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 8 holds 399 sentences of Poor Relations, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Poor Relations by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 8 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 Poor Relations by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12900 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12900, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor Relations section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Poor Relations 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 Poor Relations, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
