Chapter 20 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“To be sure; they live there all the year round.” “It is now five o’clock. We shall still find them up at nine.” “Oh yes, till ten. They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
Chapter 20 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading “They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.”
provide a cure for, make healthy again
From this reading “They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.”
your parents
From this reading “They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “We shall still find them up at nine.””
according to the clock
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading ““Oh yes, till ten.”
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.
(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 “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
provide a cure for, make healthy again
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “It is now five o’clock.
your parents
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is now five o’clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is now five o’clock.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “It is now five o’clock.
according to the clock
From this reading “It is now five o’clock.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh yes, till ten.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
not in physical motion
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “Oh yes, till ten.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They have company every evening--the cure, Monsieur Marron the doctor----” “Good folks then?” said Derville.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “Oh yes, till ten.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shall still find them up at nine.”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “To be sure; they live there all the year round.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Oh yes, till ten.
Chapter 20 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 20 holds 217 sentences of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1660 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1660, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1842 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scenes from a Courtesan's Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life 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 Scenes from a Courtesan's Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
