Chapter 17 of Poor Relations is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Poor Relations is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women! But governments are so prudish! Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide. My word, I pity nations! "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
Chapter 17 of Poor Relations is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 “government” — the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading “But governments are so prudish!”
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading “Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.”
subject to guidance or control especially after launching
From this reading “Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.”
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “My word, I pity nations!”
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading “Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.”
exaggeratedly proper
From this reading “But governments are so prudish!”
support through subsidies
From this reading “"The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “"But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.”
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 "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
anew
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But governments are so prudish!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But governments are so prudish!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
plural of “government” — the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading But governments are so prudish!
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
subject to guidance or control especially after launching
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My word, I pity nations!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the sound of laughing
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
social deportment
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the force of workers available
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My word, I pity nations!
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading My word, I pity nations!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading My word, I pity nations!
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
exaggeratedly proper
From this reading But governments are so prudish!
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
an educational institution
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But governments are so prudish!
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
not in physical motion
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
support through subsidies
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
(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 "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Still, they are guided by men, whom we privately guide.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "The State ought to subsidize a school of manners for honest women!
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading My word, I pity nations!
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But the matter in question is how you can be helped, and not to laugh at the world.--Well, madame, be easy, go home again, and do not worry.
Chapter 17 of Poor Relations by Honoré de Balzac holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 17 holds 408 sentences of Poor Relations, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Poor Relations by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 17 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.
