Chapter 23 of Sans-Cravate is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Sans-Cravate is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick! You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you." "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see." "Why, no--no, you are a little pale." "I always am.
Chapter 23 of Sans-Cravate is here in full — 397 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.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."”
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “"Why, no--no, you are a little pale."”
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading “You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."”
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!”
nonexistent
From this reading “"Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!”
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “"It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."”
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
(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 "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "I always am.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I always am.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
dearly loved
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
not any; not one
From this reading "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
above and across; more than
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
nonexistent
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
during the time that
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, no--no, you are a little pale."
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading "It wasn't worth while; it's all over now, as you see."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, dear! that was all that was wanting--that you should be sick!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You ought to have written to me; I would have shown father your letter, and he couldn't have refused to let me go to see you and nurse you."
Chapter 23 of Sans-Cravate by Paul de Kock holds 397 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 23 holds 397 sentences of Sans-Cravate, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Sans-Cravate by Paul de Kock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 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 23 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 Sans-Cravate by Paul de Kock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11584 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38001 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38001, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sans-Cravate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Sans-Cravate 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 Sans-Cravate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
